France move Dupont to number 10 for South Africa test
France captain Antoine Dupont will move from number 9 to number 10 against South Africa in Paris on 13 November. Coach Fabien Galthié selected him after injuries depleted the usual options, with Maxime Lucu starting at number 9. The team also includes returning forward Grégory Alldritt and winger Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, who won Olympic sevens gold alongside Dupont.
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Injuries shift Dupont into the number 10 shirt
France captain Antoine Dupont will start at fly-half against South Africa at the Stade de France in Paris on 13 November. Coach Fabien Galthié has moved his regular number 9 into the number 10 role for the Nations Championship fixture. Maxime Lucu will play alongside him at number 9, with France reorganising the half-back partnership after several playmakers became unavailable.[1], [2]
Romain Ntamack injured his shoulder 32 minutes into France’s 54-17 win over Fiji on Saturday. Lucu came off the bench to replace him in that game. Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy are also unavailable. Lucu had started at number 10 for Bordeaux-Bègles against Gloucester last month, but Galthié chose Dupont, who covered the position for Toulouse during the 2023-24 season.[1]
Alldritt and Marchand return to the pack
France have also brought Grégory Alldritt back at number 8 and selected Julien Marchand at hooker for the contest with the world champions. Galthié picked them to meet South Africa’s forward strength. Alldritt was left out of this year’s Six Nations. France’s forwards also include Falatea, Gros, Verhaeghe, Guillard, Cros and Woki, while Mauvaka and Ollivon are among the replacements.[1], [2]
Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang will make his fourth international appearance on the wing. Born and raised in London, he moved to France at 19 after struggling to secure a professional contract in England. He concentrated on sevens and won Olympic gold with Dupont in 2024. He subsequently returned to the fifteen-a-side game with French club Pau and now joins France’s starting backs for this match.[1]
South Africa make one change after Italy win
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus made one change to the side that beat Italy 66-7 on Saturday. Wilco Louw replaces Thomas du Toit in the front row. The visitors’ starting side retains Kolisi and PS du Toit among its forwards, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu and van den Berg forming the half-back pairing. Thomas du Toit is named among the replacements.[1]
The Springboks have won nine of their last ten Tests against France. Those results include last autumn’s victory with 14 players and their one-point quarter-final win at the 2023 World Cup. Erasmus has highlighted the difficulty of anticipating Dupont’s instinctive decisions, saying that even the French captain’s team-mates might not know precisely what he will do next.[1]
