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:
