Dupont named at 10 for France as fly-half options remain absent
France captain Antoine Dupont will start at fly-half against world champions South Africa in Paris in Friday's Nations Championship match, the side named ahead of the fixture on Friday 13 November. Dupont, normally a scrum-half, has been moved to number 10 because several specialist fly-halves are unavailable.
Dupont's experience at 10 is limited to a small number of appearances for Toulouse and he has previously filled the role during an injury crisis in the 2023-24 season. The move comes after the absences of Matthieu Jalibert, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy left France without their first-choice playmakers. It had been expected that Maxime Lucu would take the fly-half role; Lucu came off the bench to replace Ntamack after Ntamack suffered a shoulder injury 32 minutes into Saturday's 54-17 victory over Fiji. Lucu also has recent starting experience at 10 for Bordeaux-Begles against Gloucester last month.
Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang will win his fourth cap on the wing for France; he was born and raised in London and moved to France as a 19-year-old after failing to secure a professional contract in England. Grandidier-Nkanang concentrated on Sevens earlier in his career and won Olympic gold alongside Dupont in 2024 before returning to the 15-a-side game with Pau. His selection to the wing pairs him with established backs in a reshaped French backline.
Coach Fabian Galthie has selected hooker Julien Marchand and number eight Gregory Alldritt in the forward pack, with Alldritt having been omitted from this year's Six Nations. Galthie indicated those selections were intended to confront the Springboks' forward power. The pack features experienced starters and bench options to cover the physical contest Galthie expects.
South Africa coach Erasmus commented on Dupont's positional switch, saying: "I don't even know if Dupont's team-mates know exactly what he's going to do next, so he's just really playing on instinct, which is tough to handle." South Africa made one change to the side that thrashed Italy 66-7 on Saturday, bringing Wilco Louw in to replace former Bath prop Thomas du Toit. The Springboks have won nine of their past 10 Tests against France, including a 14-man victory last autumn and a one-point quarter-final win at the 2023 World Cup.
France: Attissogbe; Grandidier-Nkanang, Gourgues, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Dupont, Lucu; Falatea, Marchand, Gros, Verhaeghe, Guillard, Cros, Woki, Alldritt. Replacements: Mauvaka, Neti, Montagne, Ollivon, Staniforth, Capilla, Desperes, Gailleton.
South Africa: Willemse; Arendse, Kriel, de Allende, Hooker; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, van den Berg; Nche, Marx, Louw, de Jager, Nortje, PS du Toit, Kolisi, Wiese. Replacements: Wessels, Steenekamp, T du Toit, Mostert, Hanekom, de Villiers, Reinach, Libbok.
The match is scheduled for Friday 13 November, 20:10 GMT, with live commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.