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Michalak to start for France

Tucuman - Sharks fly-half Frederic Michalak will make his first start for France in almost five years in Saturday's clash against Argentina here.

French boss Philippe Saint-Andre made six changes to the side that lost 23-20 to Argentina in Cordoba last weekend, with Michalak slated to start his first game since his France's 34-10 defeat to the Pumas in the third-place game at the 2007 World Cup.

Saint-Andre also handed an international debut to Agen scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, meaning that Francois Trinh-Duc and Morgan Parra will start on the bench.

"We wanted to see Fred (Michalak) and Maxime (Machenaud) for what they showed over the last fortnight," explained Saint-Andre.

Perpignan centre Maxime Mermoz replaces Wesley Fofana and will start alongside Florian Fritz, while Racing Metro's Benjamin Fall takes the places of Jean-Marcellin Buttin on the wing.

Flanker Alexandre Lapandry and prop Vincent Debaty also come in for Wenceslas Lauret and the injured Yvan Watremez.

France team:

Brice Dulin (Agen); Benjamin Fall (Racing-Metro), Florian Fritz (Toulouse), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Yoann Huget (Bayonne); Frederic Michalak (Sharks/RSA), Maxime Machenaud (Agen); Fulgence Ouedraogo (Montpellier), Picamoles (Toulouse), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont); Yoann Maestri (Toulouse), Pascal Pape (Stade Francais, capt); David Attoub (Stade Francais), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Vincent Debaty (Clermont)

Replacements: Christopher Tolofua (Toulouse), Thomas Domingo (Clermont), Christophe Samson (Toulon), Wenceslas Lauret (Biarritz), Morgan Parra (Clermont), Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Wesley Fofana (Clermont)

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