Antoine Dupont to start at fly-half against Springboks

France captain Antoine Dupont will start at fly-half in Friday's Nations Championship clash against South Africa at the Stade de France.

Head coach Fabien Galthié confirmed the positional switch on Wednesday, with Maxime Lucu selected at scrum-half following injuries to several established fly-half options.

Antoine Dupont Moves to Fly-Half for France

Dupont, normally France's first-choice scrum-half, will wear the number 10 jersey against the Springboks after Romain Ntamack suffered a shoulder injury during last weekend's victory over Fiji.

Ntamack was forced off shortly after the half-hour mark, prompting Lucu to enter the match at fly-half alongside Dupont.

However, Galthié has reversed those roles for the South Africa encounter, with Lucu taking over at scrum-half and Dupont moving to fly-half.

The decision comes as France are without four established fly-half options, including Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos, who primarily plays at full-back.

Gregory Alldritt Returns to France Starting Lineup

Galthié has also made changes to his forward pack as France prepare to face the powerful South African forwards.

Julien Marchand has been selected at hooker in place of Maxime Lamothe as Galthié adjusts his forward pack for the Springboks encounter.

Former captain Grégory Alldritt returns at number eight for his first France appearance since November 2025, with back-rower Paul Boudehent unavailable through injury.

Cameron Woki and François Cros complete the starting back row, while Mickaël Guillard and Florian Verhaeghe form the second-row partnership.

France will host the Springboks on Friday, November 13, with Dupont's selection at fly-half representing a significant change to their attacking combination.

France XV : 15 Théo Attissogbe, 14 Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, 13 Kalvin Gourgues, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Antoine Dupont, 9 Maxime Lucu (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 François Cros, 5 Mickaël Guillard, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Sipili Falatea, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.

Reserves: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Régis Montagne, 19 Charles Ollivon, 20 Tom Staniforth, 21 Esteban Capilla, 22 Axel Desperes, 23 Emilien Gailleton.