France scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec has expressed his gratitude for the presence of injured superstar Antoine Dupont in training ahead of this weekend's highly anticipated clash with the Springboks. Dupont, still recovering from a serious knee injury, has been providing valuable insights and support to the Les Bleus squad in the build-up to Saturday's Autumn Nations Series encounter in Paris.
The 28-year-old Olympic champion is slated to return to play next month with his club Toulouse, following France's matches against the Springboks, Fiji, and Australia. Le Garrec, 23, is expected to start at half-back in place of Dupont, with Maxime Lucu on the bench, in a rematch of the thrilling 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal that saw the Springboks emerge victorious en route to their fourth title.
"Whether it's Antoine or even Max Lucu, we discuss a lot off the field in general," Le Garrec told reporters. "It's always good advice from Antoine and Max. With all of their qualities, they help me a lot."
Le Garrec is set to partner with Dupont's club teammate Romain Ntamack at half-back, marking their first international start together. "It's great to play alongside Romain," Le Garrec said. "We have the same vision of the game. We try to experience things fully to help the team play as well as possible."
Dupont's absence also leaves a void in the captaincy role, with Racing 92 centre Gael Fickou poised to lead the Six Nations champions on his 97th international appearance. "He has incredible experience," Le Garrec said of Fickou. "He's experienced it all with France, the highs and the lows. He's very consistent and stable. It's great that he's leading us." The Springboks vs France match promises to be a thrilling encounter, filled with talent and determination on both sides.