Fabien Galthie has outlined Antoine Dupont’s mandate ahead of their blockbuster Six Nations opener against Ireland at the Stade de France.
The talismanic scrumhalf will lead Les Bleus in Thursday night’s clash, marking his first Test appearance in 11 months after recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered against the Irish last season.
France went on to win that match in Dublin without him and sealed the Six Nations title a week later against Scotland, but Dupont’s absence was felt during an underwhelming autumn campaign that saw Les Bleus beaten at home by the Springboks before scraping past Fiji and Australia.
TEAM: Fit-again Dupont partners Jalibert
Galthie believes Dupont’s influence goes far beyond individual brilliance, and that his return demands a collective step up.
“Antoine Dupont is a plus, that’s for sure,” Galthie said. “He’s a plus in many areas, but that means more demands to work harder to match his ambitions, and that’s why he’s our captain.
“It means harder work collectively for the players around him, more commitment asked of the team to follow his captaincy and what he imposes on the team, both strategically and in terms of the intensity put on the opposition.”
France will face an Irish side without many of their front-row starters. Tadgh Furlong, Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle are all unavailable, forcing Andy Farrell to turn to Thomas Clarkson and Jeremy Loughman at prop.
But despite the disruption, Farrell has backed his replacements to stand up to France’s power.
“[Clarkson] has been in and around the group now for a couple of years … but you can see him finding his feet at this level,” Farrell said.
“Jez has all the attributes to be a fantastic loosehead at this level and he’s been fighting hard to get back into this squad and here’s his chance.”
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Even without dropped record try-scorer Damian Penaud, Ireland are bracing for France’s attacking threat, with Farrell acknowledging the hosts’ ability to strike from anywhere.
“We all know that they’re a world-class side, certainly at home,” he said. “World-class sides tend to have an all-court game.”
– AFP
Photo: Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images
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