Castaignede named at No.15
Thomas Castaignede will start at fullback for France against Canada on Saturday.
France v Canada
International match, Saturday November 12, KO 16.00pm
Thomas Castaignede will start for France against Canada, after forcing his way back from the international wilderness.
The Saracens centre appeared as a replacement in France's 26-16 win over Australia for his first cap in three years after being omitted by coach Bernard Laporte from the 2003 World Cup squad. He will start at full back on Saturday.
France team manager Jo Maso explained the selection: "Thomas plays at fullback with his club and we decided to put him in the best conditions to prove to his fans that he is back at his best."
Skipper Fabien Pelous has been named on the replacements' bench, with the forward set to be replaced by Lionel Nallet if he is banned by a disciplinary hearing in London on Wednesday.
Lock Jerome Thion has been handed the captaincy, with Laporte making four changes to his pack and three in the backs from the team that beat the Wallabies in Marseille.
Stade Francais lock Mike James will skipper the Canadian side into battle against France on Saturday.
After the French scored a magnificent 26-16 victory over Australia last week, James now has the job of inspiring his men to compete with a team that are looking increasingly formidable.
"We realise there is a gap between the two teams but we will do our best to be competitive," promised the influential second row forward.
James is the most experienced of the Canadian footballers, having amassed 50 caps in addition to the 10 years he has spent in French rugby.
Jon Thiel is the most notable absentee from Canada's line-up, but they do have Derek Daypuck, who provides a very reliable boot from full back.
France team: 15-Thomas Castaignede, 14-Aurelien Rougerie, 13-David Marty, 12-Yannick Jauzion, 11-Cedric Heymans; 10-Frederic Michalak, 9-Dimitri Yachvili; 8-Thomas Lievremont, 7-Remy Martin, 6-Julien Bonnaire, 5-Jerome Thion, 4-Lionel Nallet, 3-Pieter de Villiers, 2-Sebastien Bruno, 1-Sylvain Marconnet.
Replacements: 16-Sebastien Bruno, 17-Olivier Milloud, 18-Fabien Pelous or Lionel Nallet, 19-Yannick Nyanga, 20-Pierre Mignoni, 21-Yann Delaigue, 22-Julien Laharrague.
Canada team: 15-Derek Daypuck; 14-Michael Pyke, 13-Ryan Smith, 12-John Cannon, 11-Brodie Henderson; 10-Ed Fairhurst, 9-Morgan Williams; 8-Aaron Carpenter, 7-Stanley McKeen, 6-Mike Webb, 5-Mike James (captain), 4-Jamie Cudmore, 3-Garth Cooke, 2-Aaron Abrams, 1-Kevin Tkachuk
Replacements: 16-Casey Dunning, 17-Mark Lawson, 18-Forrest Gainer, 19-Michael Burak, 20-Adam Kleeberger, 21-Matt Weingart, 22-Ryan McWhinney
