Dupont starts at fly-half as France host South Africa in Paris on 13 November

Dupont moves to fly-half

France coach Fabien Galthie has moved captain Antoine Dupont from scrum-half to fly-half for the Nations Championship match against South Africa at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday 13 November, with kick-off at 8.10pm GMT. Dupont usually plays scrum-half and has few Test starts at 10, and this will be the first time he wears the number ten shirt in his Test career. The switch follows injuries to Romain Ntamack, who hurt his shoulder 32 minutes into the 54-17 win over Fiji on Saturday 7 November, and to Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy. Maxime Lucu, who came on for Ntamack against Fiji, will now play at scrum-half rather than at fly-half, the role that had been expected for him. Galthie confirmed the selection on Wednesday 11 November.

Forwards and backs

Galthie has also picked a heavier pack to match the Springboks' forward power. Gregory Alldritt returns at No 8 after being left out of the Six Nations squad earlier in the year, and he replaces the injured Paul Boudehent in the back row. Francois Cros moves to blindside flanker with Cameron Woki on the openside. Julien Marchand returns at hooker in place of Maxime Lamothe, while Peato Mauvaka keeps his role as replacement hooker. Axel Desperes, a young Pau fly-half, sits on the bench as cover for Dupont and is in line for a first cap. Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang will win his fourth cap on the wing, and he also won Olympic gold alongside Dupont in Sevens in 2024.

South Africa's build-up

Rassie Erasmus has made only one change to the side that beat Italy 66-7 on Saturday 7 November, with Wilco Louw replacing Thomas du Toit. Eben Etzebeth, South Africa's most-capped player, is back in the wider squad, while uncapped fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed has returned home with a shoulder issue. South Africa have won nine of their past 10 Tests against France, a run that includes a 14-man victory in autumn 2025 and a one-point quarter-final win at the 2023 World Cup. Erasmus gave his view of Dupont's new role ahead of the match:

“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.”

What to watch

The central question for France is whether Dupont, who plays at fly-half only semi-regularly for Toulouse, can run a game against a fully loaded Springboks side. Lucu played at 10 for Bordeaux-Begles against Gloucester in October 2026, so France have a fly-half option who has started there recently. Desperes is the bench cover if Dupont needs relief. The match kicks off on Friday 13 November at 8.10pm GMT in Paris.