The China Mail - French eyes on Dupont as Galthie faces back-row selection puzzle

Galthie is likely to start Antoine Dupont at No. 9 over Maxime Lucu after the captain was given the green light to return to training this week following surgery on a fractured jaw.

Since Galthie took over as boss four years ago, Dupont has never been named as a substitute and is expected to wear a headguard on Sunday at the Stade de France.

"Antoine is at 100 percent of his capacities," a confident scrum coach William Servat said on Wednesday.

Despite all signals pointing towards Dupont beginning the match, however, former France hooker Benjamin Kayser offered another option for Galthie this week.

"For the pure TV moment I hope he will be on the bench," Kayser jokingly told Monday's edition of the Good, the Bad, and the Rugby Podcast.

"On the 50th minute, and we're behind by two or three points and the little man takes his bib off and the whole stadium goes bananas.

"That would be dreamland, Hollywood-type of stuff if that could happen," he added.

The front-five from the Italy win last time out is set to stay with hooker Julien Marchand still out with a hamstring issue.

Galthie faces a headache in the back-row, however, with Anthony Jelonch, Francois Cros and Charles Ollivon battling for the two flanker spots.

Jelonch and Ollivon skippered the side during this World Cup in Dupont's absence while Cros does a lot of unseen work in open play.

They will come up against a cunning, disruptive Springboks' loose trio which will include captain Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph Du Toit.

"The back-row is a strong component of our team," said Servat this week.

"We need complementarity in our selection with each player in the pack fitting in well with the others.

"We need to be as adaptable as possible this weekend," the former Test hooker added.

- 'Battle up-front' -

Outside fly-half Matthieu Jalibert will be the settled midfield of Jonathan Danty and Gael Fickou.

Damian Penaud, the tournament's leading tryscorer with six, will take the right wing while 20-year-old Louis Bielle-Biarrey is in line to get the nod over livewire Gabin Villiere on the left.

Thomas Ramos will be at full-back, thanks to his consistent goal-kicking which has made him the leading points-scorer with 61.

Among the replacements, Galthie and his staff have a choice to make regarding the number of forwards on the bench.

While South Africa have toyed with the idea of a 7-1 split in favour of the forwards, the French may go for a 6-2 balance with flanker Sekou Macalou acting as cover for the wings, as he did the last time the sides met, when France beat the Springboks in Marseille in November.

"One thing is obvious for us: we expect an enormous battle up front and a really heavy (South African) team on Sunday," said Servat.

L.Johnson--ThChM