Dupont takes the bib
Nothing is official yet, but Tuesday’s training run said plenty. According to L’Équipe, Antoine Dupont wore the number 10 bib for France while Maxime Lucu took the 9, a swap that points to the captain starting at fly-half against South Africa on Friday at the Stade de France (9.10pm local time).
The hole to fill comes from Romain Ntamack, who dislocated his left shoulder in the 54-17 win over Fiji and will be out for at least two months. Lucu replaced him in that game and looked set to carry on at 10, until the training session changed the picture.
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A pairing that has done this before
The two have shared the field plenty, with Dupont acting as a second playmaker behind the rucks and Lucu as first receiver. The question is whether they swap roles during a match. Axel Desperes, the 22-year-old Pau fly-half, could cover the half-backs from the bench instead of Toulouse’s Paul Graou, which would give him a first cap if he comes on.
The rest of the probable XV
Paul Boudehent is out with a calf problem, so Gregory Alldritt is expected at number 8, with François Cros sliding to 6 and Cameron Woki staying at flanker. Julien Marchand, back from a thigh injury, should replace Maxime Lamothe at hooker. Elsewhere the side stays close to the one that started against Fiji, with Yoram Moefana and Kalvin Gourgues in the centres.
Fabien Galthié names his 23 on Wednesday at 11am. France top the northern hemisphere pool, two points clear of England and Ireland, while the Springboks lead the southern group level with New Zealand on points difference.
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