France's lock crisis deepens as Taofifenua fails to recover for Scotland

France have confirmed that second-row Romain Taofifenua will miss Saturday’s clash with Scotland at Murrayfield after failing to recover from a leg infection.

French outlet Midi Olympique reported on Monday that France assistant coach William Servat confirmed at their training base in Marcoussis that the 136kg lock will not make the trip to Edinburgh.

The 33-year-old was initially selected to play against Ireland in round one of the Guinness Six Nations in Marseille, but was withdrawn after the squad had been announced due to an illness, opening the door for 19-year-old Posolo Tuilagi to make his debut at the Stade Velodrome.

After starting on the bench against Ireland, Tuilagi could now be promoted to the starting XV to partner Paul Gabrillagues against Scotland following a red card to starting lock Paul Willemse, although Cameron Woki remains the more likely option.

The combination of Taofifenua’s injury and Willemse’s red card only makes France’s second-row crisis worse. Fabien Galthie had already lost Emmanuel Meafou before the tournament began, and did not even select Thibaud Flament due to injury.

Then again, even though France have been forced to delve deep into their second-row reserves, this only exhibits the depth they have in that position.

Servat added that France are debating whether they call up another player to the squad to alleviate this crisis, which would come after they called seven players back into their squad this week in the wake of the Ireland loss.

Regardless of who starts in the engine room in Edinburgh, they will want to make an impact for Les Bleus, who will be looking to get their Six Nations back on track after a record loss to Ireland.

Scotland, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their opening round win over Wales at the Principality Stadium in round one, particularly to bounce back from their second-half performance, where they almost squandered a 27-point lead.