France make huge call at flyhalf for Springboks Test

In the lead up to Friday’s battle between the Springboks and France, Les Bleus have lost Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos to injury.

It’s left coach Fabien Galthié facing an injury crisis in this position, and he has now revealed a bold call at flyhalf to face the Springboks.

Famed scrumhalf Antoine Dupont will shift into the No 10 jersey, with Maxime Lucu starting at scrumhalf.

It’s a massive call any way you look at it, and it could certainly be a match-defining decision to hand Dupont the reins in this crucial position.

Decisive battle for Springboks and France

Speaking during his team announcement conference on Monday, Rassie Erasmus had thought France might prefer a more physical playmaker to start at 10.

“I think the team they’re going to pick this weekend is going to be a lighter, running side, moving the ball around a little bit,” the Bok boss said.

“They will always have a good kicking game. And with Dupont there, I’m not sure who’s going to play 10. I think it’s going to be Lucu or the 13.

“I’ve just got a feeling they’re going to play a more physical game. I’m not sure if they play Lucu, they will get the physicality that they want.

“We’ve lost a couple of 10s in the past, and that does disrupt. At one stage we put Faf [de Klerk] at 10. We played with Quan Horn at 10. One game, we played with [André] Esterhuizen at 10.

“I think they’ll probably go with a more physical 10, and then put Lucu on a little bit later … when it’s more open.

“I’m 100% sure that in the beginning it’s going to be straightforward up and down from both teams, with both trying to get dominance.”

Kick off is at 22:10 (SA time).

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against France:
Played 47; Won 29; Lost 12; Drawn 6. Points for: 1026, Points against: 737. Tries scored 115, Tries conceded 66. Highest score 52-10; Biggest win 42 points. Win % 61,7%.

Miscellaneous:

• Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx will both enter the match with 95 Test caps to their name, meaning they require only four more Test appearances after this weekend to join the exclusive club of Springbok centurions.
• Ten players in the matchday squad played in the RWC quarter-final against France in 2023, while 16 players were involved in the match-up between the team’s last season.
• The Springboks have won the last five matches between the teams in Paris, dating back to 2013. Les Bleus last won a match against the Boks in the French capital in 2005.
• Siya Kolisi will lead the Springboks for the 77th time when he takes the field. In his last match against France, he earned the significant milestone of becoming the ninth Springbok centurion in history.
• The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up are 896. There are 344 caps in the backline, with 552 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 269 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 49, the forwards 69, while the players on the bench average 34.