Castaignede earns recall to French team

France coach Bernard Laporte has made only two changes to his team to play Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday.

France coach Bernard Laporte has made only two changes to his team to play Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday.

Frederic Michalak comes in at fly-half for Francois Gelez, and Thomas Castaignede starts at outside centre for Xavier Garbajosa who pushes out Vincent Clerc on the left wing.

"Thomas has rediscovered his punch and we wanted to see him in action again. And we feel Xavier Garbajosa is one of the in-form backs," said team manager Jo Maso.

Laporte leaves his pack intact despite branding his forwards "cheats" following the defeat at Lansdowne Road.

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"We hope the pack has refound its pride and will be much more effective as ball winners than against Ireland," Laporte said.

"We wanted to give them another chance as they have the advantage of playing together as a unit, but if they fail again we'll take the necessary measures," he warned.

Laporte is desperate to have tighthead prop Pieter De Villiers back from suspension for his positive test for cocaine and ecstasy. The 30-year-old South African-born Stade Francais player will be welcomed back after the Six Nations.

Michalak (20) wins his seventh cap, although all but the previous two were at scrum-half. He is France's third outside half this season.

Laporte, desperate for a reliable goal-kicker, has picked Dimitri Yachvili and Michalak for his 15th half-back pairing since taking over following the 1999 World Cup 34 matches ago. Yachvili gets his second game running as stand-in for injured captain Fabien Galthie.

Castaignede, 28, is winning his 41st cap. He made his comeback for France last November against South Africa after two years out with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Laporte also made four changes to his replacements. Prop Olivier Milloud is in for Christain Califano; Patrick Tabacco replaces injured flanker Sebastien Chabal; Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, whose previous two caps three years ago were at fly-half, replaces scrum-half Mathieu Barrau; and Clerc swaps places with Castaignede.

France: C Poitrenaud; A Rougerie, T Castaignede, D Traille, X Garbajosa; F Michalak, D Yachvili; I Harinordoquy, O Magne, S Betsen, O Brouzet, F Pelous, S Marconnet, R Ibanez, J-J Crenca.

Replacements: J-B Rue, O Milloud, D Auradou, P Tabacco, J-B Elissalde, G Merceron, V Clerc.