France v South Africa live updates: Nations Championship test

France coach Fabien Galthie announced today that iconic captain Antoine Dupont would play at first five-eighths against South Africa in their Nations Championship match.

Les Bleus are missing their four first-choice No 10s in Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos, who usually plays at fullback but is also a top-class first-five.

Dupont and Maxime Lucu had been widely expected to line up at 9 and 10.

Lucu had come on at first five-eighth outside Dupont against Fiji last week to replace Ntamack, who suffered a shoulder injury just past the half-hour mark.

But against the Boks, their roles will be reversed.

“We took a lot of pleasure in tackling this challenge of designing something which could bring us greater stability and balance in our playmaking,” Galthie said of the surprise selection.

“These are two players with a lot of experience, they are two icons in France … and in the world, who we wanted to align together to lead the team on Friday night.”

Both played at first five-eighths before, but Lucu has considerably more experience doing so for his club Bordeaux-Begles than Dupont does at Toulouse.

Galthie has opted to beef up his pack against the fearsome Springbok forwards on Saturday morning NZT at the Stade de France, with Julien Marchand picked in place of Maxime Lamothe at hooker.

Former captain Gregory Alldritt returns to the team for the first time in a year at No 8 with fellow back-rower Paul Boudehent injured.

“He’s a player who has battled to come back into the French team and the opportunity is there for him,” Galthie said of Alldritt, 29, whose omission from November tests a year ago and then the Six Nations in February and March was something of a surprise.

“He’s a player with a lot of experience, and who uses it.

“When he speaks he’s listened to, he’s followed, he has charisma.

“He’s a great guy, he’s an example of giving his all for the team.”

On the bench, prop Rodrigue Neto replaces Jefferson Poirot and uncapped young first five-eighths Axel Desperes fills the gap created by Lucu’s promotion to the starting XV.

Galthie knows that the challenge facing his team could not be tougher.

“They’re double world champions and right now they’re amongst the best ever rugby teams in the world – that’s what they’re building,” he said.

“They’re effective in every area. In the air, there’s very little space with them; on the ground, there’s very little space with them; there are very few gaps with them.

“To get out wide, you have to first go through the middle where they are very aggressive and win a lot of collisions.

“Against South Africa, there’s very little space, very little time and a constant physical dimension which means that the physical battle affects the strategic, technical and tactical side of things.

“But that’s a good thing because it allows us to push our limits where we want to evolve.”

Team (15-1):

Theo Attissogbe; Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Kalvin Gourgues, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Antoine Dupont (capt), Maxime Lucu; Gregory Alldritt, Cameron Woki, Francois Cros; Mickael Guillard, Florian Verhaeghe; Sipili Falatea, Julien Marchand, Jean-Baptiste Gros

Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Rodrigue Neti, Regis Montagne, Charles Ollivon, Tom Staniforth, Esteban Capilla, Axel Desperes, Emilien Gailleton