South African born Antonie Claassen insisted that despite criticism of his being selected for France's squad for the Six Nations match with England his heart belonged to the French. The 28-year-old flanker, who moved to France in 2007, first playing for Brive before moving to Castres, was a surprise pick by coach Philippe Saint-Andre on Monday. However, Saint-Andre, desperate to get France off the mark after two defeats, against Italy and France, and stave off talk about a first wooden spoon for the French since 1957, opted for the highly-rated South African.