France name Antoine Dupont at fly-half amid injury absences

France have selected captain Antoine Dupont at fly-half for their Nations Championship match against South Africa, moving him from his usual scrum-half position amid a shortage of established options. Coach Fabien Galthie announced the team on Wednesday, with Maxime Lucu named at scrum-half for Friday's game at the Stade de France, AFP reported.

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Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos are all unavailable. Ntamack suffered a shoulder injury during the victory over Fiji, with Lucu coming off the bench to take over at fly-half. The announced combination reverses the roles the two scrum-halves occupied after Ntamack's departure, rather than keeping Dupont in the number nine shirt.

BBC Sport reported that Ntamack went off after 32 minutes of France's 54-17 win on Saturday. Lucu had also started at fly-half for Bordeaux-Begles against Gloucester last month. Dupont has experience covering the position for Toulouse, including during an injury crisis in the 2023-24 season, but normally operates at scrum-half for club and country.

The selection also brings changes to France's forwards. According to AFP, Julien Marchand replaces Maxime Lamothe at hooker, while Gregory Alldritt returns at number eight with Paul Boudehent injured. The Independent reported that Francois Cros moves to the flank alongside Cameron Woki. Alldritt had been omitted from France's Six Nations squad earlier this year.

Among the replacements, Pau fly-half Axel Desperes provides cover for Dupont and could make his international debut, The Independent reported. The starting back line includes Theo Attissogbe at full-back, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the wings, and Kalvin Gourgues alongside Yoram Moefana in midfield. Lucu and Dupont form the starting half-back partnership.

Grandidier-Nkanang is set to earn his fourth cap, according to BBC Sport. He won Olympic sevens gold alongside Dupont in 2024 before returning to the 15-a-side game with Pau. South Africa have made one change to the team that beat Italy 66-7, selecting Wilco Louw in place of Thomas du Toit.