12 November 2026
France head coach Fabien Galthié has named captain Antoine Dupont to start at flyhalf for Friday night’s Test against the Springboks in Paris. The selection marks the first time the regular scrumhalf will start a Test match in the number 10 jersey.
The decision runs counter to the combination France used during last weekend's match against Fiji. When Ntamack left the field with a dislocated shoulder in that fixture, Lucu came off the bench to play flyhalf while Dupont remained at scrumhalf. Lucu also started at flyhalf for his club, Bordeaux-Bègles, last month, whereas Dupont has not started a club game at 10 for Toulouse since March 2024.
Rugby analysts and supporters have debated the merits of moving France's primary playmaker away from the base of the scrum. Critics have pointed out that defending the flyhalf channel against Springbok pivot Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and South Africa’s heavy midfield presents a different challenge to defending at scrumhalf.
Supporters of the move believe that placing Dupont at flyhalf gives him additional time on the ball against South Africa's rush defence, while Lucu takes over box-kicking and goal-kicking responsibilities.
Speaking on the selection, Galthié stated that the coaching staff prioritised experience and dismissed outside commentary. “In the system we’ve put together over the past two days, we’ve decided to start Maxime at scrumhalf and Antoine at flyhalf because we felt it was the best option at this moment,” Galthié explained.
“We really enjoyed putting this halfback partnership together because we believe it gives us the greatest stability and balance in the way we manage our game. Both players have a wealth of experience. They are two icons whom we wanted to bring together to lead this French team.”
Galthié added that the coaching staff had limited preparation time on the training pitch before finalising the combination. "We've probably talked about it more than we've trained for it, we've visualised how it will work, and we believe this is the best solution," he said, adding that "we simply did what we felt was the best. We have not particularly listened to the advice of others."
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus acknowledged the challenge posed by Dupont’s style of play regardless of his position on the field. "I don't even know if Dupont's teammates know exactly what he's going to do next, so he's just really playing on instinct, which is tough to handle," Erasmus said earlier this week.