Castaignede back for France two seasons on

MARCOUSSIS, France - France back Thomas Castaignede will make his international return against Australia on November 5 over two years after winning the last of his 43 caps.

The 30-year-old Saracens fullback was named on Tuesday in a 22-man squad for the first match of France's November series.

"Thomas is in the squad as a replacement covering the centre and fullback positions," coach Bernard Laporte told journalists at the team training centre in Marcoussis, south of Paris.

"For the time being, Frederic Michalak and Yann Delaigue are ahead of him at first five-eighths, Yannick Jauzion and Florian Fritz are without doubt our two best centres and Julien Laharrague is our number one fullback."

Faced by a wave of injuries, Laporte also recalled lock Lionel Nallet and number eight Thomas Lievremont, who played their last international in June 2003 and July 2004 respectively.

Halfback Dimitri Yachvili was dropped as Laporte decided to have five forwards and only two backs on the bench.

"We know we are going to face a strong physical challenge because the Australians have a powerful pack," Laporte said.

"Dimitri paid the price of our tactical decision but we are going to play three other tests in November against Canada, Tonga and South Africa and he will have his chance."

France will face Australia at Marseille's Stade Velodrome with a team short of seven experienced players.

Back row forwards Serge Betsen and Imanol Harinordoquy, lock Pascal Pape, hooker William Servat, centre Damien Traille and wing Christophe Dominici are all injured. Number eight Julien Bonnaire is suspended for "brutality" in a French championship match.

"I'm sorry for the injured players. Maybe, we wouldn't have picked Castaignede, Nallet or Lievremont but here they are and they will have an opportunity to stake their claim and I'm happy for them," Laporte said.

"I'm particularly happy for Thomas who is back in top form. He has been working hard in training and had the best overall results for a back-line player when he had our physical tests.

"We would like to test him at first five-eighths but he would have to wear the number 10 with Saracens first," he said.

"Number 10, 13 or 15, I don't care. To be in the squad would be enough," Castaignede was quoted as saying when Laporte first said two weeks ago he was considering a recall.

"When I was younger, I used to make demands like a spoilt brat. As time goes by, I have learnt to obey like a private."

Castaignede made his international debut in 1995 against Romania, scoring 22 points, and hit the headlines with a last-minute drop-goal to beat England in the 1996 Five Nations.

At 21, Castaignede was nicknamed "The Little Prince" by French media and was regarded as a supremely gifted, mercurial number 10, arguably the world's best, a rugby romantic who embodied French flair.

He was elected European player of the year in 1998 after steering France to their first back-to-back grand slam but his 1999 World Cup was ended by injury after a single game against Canada.

After he left his formative club Toulouse to join Castres and then Saracens, his career came to a halt on November 4, 2000 when he snapped an Achilles tendon 15 minutes before the kickoff of a test against Australia at the Stade de France.

Four operations followed and two years went by before Laporte called him back and gave him a start in the outside centre position against South Africa on November 9, 2002.

Castaignede added seven more caps to his name but the second part of his international career ended in Buenos Aires on June 20, 2003. Argentina beat France 10-6 and Laporte dropped him from his squad for the World Cup in Australia.

"I had nothing personal against Thomas. In 2003, he just wasn't fit enough for the World Cup", Laporte said on Tuesday. "This season, he has played very good games with Saracens so he is back in the squad. Now it's up to him."

Squad:

Backs: Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Frederic Michalak, Yann Delaigue, Thomas Castaignede, Yannick Jauzion, Florian Fritz Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie, Julien Laharrague

Forwards : Pieter de Villiers, Sylvain Marconnet, Olivier Milloud, Sebastien Bruno, Dimitri Szarzewski, Fabien Pelous (captain), Jerome Thion, Lionel Nallet, Yannick Nyanga, Gregory Lamboley, Olivier Magne, Thomas Lievremont, Remy Martin.

- REUTERS