French captain Mathieu Bastareaud is set to be rested for the third Test against the All Blacks this Saturday.
French media travelling with the team have reported that "Basta" will likely be on the bench, replaced as captain by scrum-half Morgan Parra.
Wesley Fofana is also expected to get his first call up in 18 months at outside centre.
Midi Olympique reports that the 30 games, with 27 starts, played by Bastareaud this season has taken its toll, despite his impressive performance on tour in New Zealand, and the French selectors had always planned to rest him at some stage.
The move is also precipitated by the injury of Bastareaud's fellow centre Geoffrey Doumayrou, being replaced by Rémi Lamerat. Both Lamerat and Fofana play for Top 14 side Clermont, where they make a compelling combination.
If Parra leads out the side in Dunedin, it will be his first test captaining the French side.