Stade Francais will be forced into a shock selection at scrum-half for this weekend's Round 5 encounter with Bath.
The 2001 and 2005 runners up are missing four No9s for Saturday's clash at the Stade Jean-Bouin as they look to extent their lead at the top of the Pool 4 standings.
French international Julien Dupuy is currently suspended until May following Stade's defeat to Ulster last month, while his replacement in the starting XV, Noel Oelschig, is out injured.
With fellow scrum-half Charlie Davis also injured and Benjamin Tardy not registered for European competition, Stade have limited options for the game against the 1998 Heineken Cup winners.
The situation has prompted coach Jacques Delmas to turn to Scotland full back Hugo Southwell to fill the void this weekend.
The former Edinburgh star has never played regular professional rugby in the No9 shirt but he does have plenty of experience in the position from his younger days back in Scotland.
"[Southwell] played at scrum-half until the age of 18," Delmas told AFP.
"Considering the weather conditions that we'll be facing, Hugo has a left boot worth considering and a very good pass. He's also very good at cover defence.
"We've got total confidence in Hugo. With (assistant coach) Didier Faugeron, we decided it was the best choice to make."
