France captain Antoine Dupont has thrown his full support behind flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert ahead of Les Bleus’ Six Nations opener against Ireland in Paris on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Jalibert has been in outstanding form this season for Champions Cup holders Bordeaux-Bègles and is set to start at pivot with Romain Ntamack still working his way back to full fitness. That places Jalibert firmly in the spotlight for the reigning champions.
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“It is not just today that the number 10s are in the spotlight, whether in a positive or a negative sense,” Dupont said on Wednesday.
“Everyone believes in Matthieu. His teammates, the coaching staff, and even you lot given that all the journalists were clamouring for him to start the Six Nations given the season he’s having.
“It’s green lights all the way for him. We know the quality that he is capable of and we hope that he brings all of his potential, in the same way that he has since the beginning of the season.”
Thursday’s clash also marks Dupont’s first Test appearance in 11 months, following the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered against Ireland during last year’s Six Nations. Despite losing their captain that day, France went on to beat Ireland 42-27 and clinched the title a week later with victory over Scotland.
Revisiting that match has not distracted Dupont from the task at hand.
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“It’s true that when we went over the images from last year, obviously it didn’t just bring back good memories,” he said.
“But as I’ve said many times, it was honestly an accident that could happen in any match.
“As it so happened, it was against Ireland, but that hasn’t tainted my preparation. I just want to play a great match and begin the tournament with a victory.”
– AFP
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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