Some teams are picked by choice. Others are picked by circumstance. France’s side for Friday night is a bit of both, and it makes for one of the most intriguing French teams the Springboks have run into in years.
This France v Springboks preview starts where Les Bleus had no choice. With four flyhalves out of the picture, Fabien Galthié has asked his captain, Antoine Dupont, to run the game from No 10. Where he did have a choice, he went heavy, recalling hooker Julien Marchand and No 8 Grégory Alldritt. Both sides arrive at the Stade de France on top of their half of the Nations Championship, and kick-off is 22:10 SAST.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Match | France v South Africa, Nations Championship, round five |
| When | Friday 13 November 2026, 22:10 SAST (21:10 in Paris) |
| Where | Stade de France, Saint-Denis |
| Referee | Andrea Piardi (Italy) |
| France captain | Antoine Dupont, at flyhalf |
| On TV in South Africa | SuperSport, according to SA Rugby |
| Table | South Africa top of the South; France top of the North |
France v Springboks preview: the French 23
The French federation published its side on Wednesday. Its official team sheet ends the debate that some reports had muddled: Dupont wears 10 and captains the team, with Maxime Lucu at scrumhalf. Clubs are as the federation lists them.
| No. | France | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Théo Attissogbe | Pau |
| 14 | Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang | Pau |
| 13 | Kalvin Gourgues | Toulouse |
| 12 | Yoram Moefana | Bordeaux Bègles |
| 11 | Louis Bielle-Biarrey | Bordeaux Bègles |
| 10 | Antoine Dupont (captain) | Toulouse |
| 9 | Maxime Lucu | Bordeaux Bègles |
| 8 | Grégory Alldritt | La Rochelle |
| 7 | Cameron Woki | Bordeaux Bègles |
| 6 | François Cros | Toulouse |
| 5 | Mickaël Guillard | Lyon |
| 4 | Florian Verhaeghe | Montpellier |
| 3 | Sipili Falatea | Bordeaux Bègles |
| 2 | Julien Marchand | Toulouse |
| 1 | Jean-Baptiste Gros | Toulon |
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse), 17 Rodrigue Neti (Toulouse), 18 Régis Montagne (Clermont), 19 Charles Ollivon (Toulon), 20 Tom Staniforth (Castres), 21 Esteban Capilla (Bayonne), 22 Axel Desperes (Pau), 23 Émilien Gailleton (Pau).
That is six forwards and two backs among the finishers, as the French call their bench, the same split the Boks use. Notice who is not there. Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy are all missing from the 42-man group the federation named on 8 November to prepare for this Test. Paul Boudehent withdrew after the Fiji match, and Paul Gabrillagues of Stade Français was called into the group in his place.
A scrumhalf in the playmaker’s chair
Dupont is, in the federation’s own words after the Fiji win, a demi de mêlée: a scrumhalf. He is also the player France most want on the ball. The federation counts 47 try assists for him in 65 Tests, a figure only Beauden Barrett has bettered among players from the Nations Championship countries since Dupont’s debut in 2017.
Flyhalf is a different job. Reuters reports that he has worn 10 eight times for his club, most recently in 2024, and never in a Test. Lucu, his partner at nine, plays his club rugby at Bordeaux Bègles, along with four others in this starting XV.
Galthié was asked about the choice on Wednesday. “We simply did what we felt was best. We haven’t particularly listened to the advice of others,” he said, as reported by Reuters.
The logic, as it looks from here, is easy to follow. France keep their captain and chief playmaker at the heart of every decision, and Lucu, who covered flyhalf for most of the Fiji win according to Reuters, moves into the No 9 shirt. The risk is just as clear: a flyhalf takes the ball with the opposing back row bearing down on him, and the Bok defence will rush that channel to find out how comfortable he is there.
Galthié’s message: front up first
The other two changes say more about how France want to play. The federation describes them as a deliberate choice to strengthen the pack, with Marchand back at hooker and Alldritt back at No 8.
Galthié’s own words, released with the team, read like a man who has studied the Boks closely. “Against South Africa, we know that space and time are extremely limited,” he said (translated from French). He called the Springboks “a major threat” but also “a challenge that excites us and that we really want to take on”, and he finished: “I am convinced that we will rise to the occasion.”
He also let the Boks know he had been listening. Galthié said he had noted what was said in the South African camp before the Test, including the remark that they had never steamrolled France, and the talk of how much they enjoy the Stade de France and its crowd. He said he fully understood what those words could mean, and spoke of the enormous respect France have for this South African side.
France’s form gives them reason to believe. They opened their November with a 54-17 win over Fiji in Lyon, eight tries and a bonus point, and World Rugby’s table has them first in the northern group with 17 points from four rounds.
What the Boks bring to Paris
Rassie Erasmus has barely touched the side that beat Italy 66-7 in Turin. Wilco Louw starts at tighthead with Thomas du Toit moving to the bench, Cobus Reinach comes onto the replacements for Grant Williams, and Eben Etzebeth, newly arrived in France, waits for another week. Ethan Hooker keeps the left wing, Siya Kolisi leads, and the bench is again six forwards and two backs. Our Springbok team for Paris has the full 23 and the coach’s reasoning.
The man who will feel France’s plan first is loosehead Ox Nche, and the scrum was his theme when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday. Nche admitted the Bok scrum was out of sync against Italy and said the group would go back to its system and fix what was broken. Of the opposition, he was blunt. “They love the scrum,” he said, as reported by RugbyPass. And to rugby365: “France have a lot of pride in their scrum, and they refuse to go backwards.”
He also explained why the set piece against France feels different. “It’s very personal for the guy you’re coming up against, and that’s probably the difference,” Nche said. His approach is patience: it might not come right in the first scrum or the second, he said, but the pack has to stay in its system.
Where the match will be won
Put the two selections side by side and the contest almost draws itself. France have reinforced their pack with Marchand and Alldritt. The Boks have kept a front row that was unhappy with its own work in Turin and has had six days to put it right. If the South African scrum gives Dupont slow, backward ball, his first Test at flyhalf becomes a long evening. If France win that battle, their captain gets time, and time is all he has ever needed.
Then there is the back three. Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the left wing and Théo Attissogbe at fullback will test every loose kick, so the Boks’ kick-chase will have to be sharp. Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Hooker are no slouches either.
As for history, the Boks’ run in Paris and how tight most of those wins were is a story our Springboks v France stats piece has already told. Read it before Friday. It explains why Paris is never a routine away trip.
What Friday means in the Nations Championship
After Friday, France host Argentina on 21 November, and the Boks finish the group stage against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday 21 November (18:40 SAST). South Africa are first in the South on 20 points, level with New Zealand on points and ahead on points difference, so a bonus-point win would matter as much as the win itself. Only the two group winners meet in the Grand Final at Twickenham on finals weekend, 27 to 29 November. How the Nations Championship works sets out the system.
France top the North and South Africa the South. If both stay there, Friday is a dress rehearsal for the final.
Our view: the Boks, through the scrum
This is ScoreLine’s view, not a fact. France have picked a brave side and a clever one: Dupont at 10 is a gamble only a very good player could make work, and he is a very good player. But the Bok front row was not happy with its scrum in Turin, even in a 66-7 win, and Nche’s words this week sounded like a front row that wants Friday to be decided at the set piece. Expect France to stay in it for an hour on emotion and the crowd. Expect the South African bench to tilt the last quarter. Boks, by a score or less.
Frequently asked questions
What time is France v South Africa in South African time?
Kick-off is at 22:10 SAST on Friday 13 November 2026, which is 21:10 in Paris. The match is at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Who is playing flyhalf for France against the Springboks?
Antoine Dupont, France’s captain and usual scrumhalf, wears No 10 on the French federation’s official team sheet. Maxime Lucu starts at scrumhalf. Reuters reports it is Dupont’s first Test at flyhalf.
Who is the referee for France v Springboks?
Andrea Piardi of Italy referees the Test. Christophe Ridley of England and Gianluca Gnecchi of Italy are the assistant referees, according to Planet Rugby.
Where can I watch France v South Africa in South Africa?
SA Rugby says the Test is live on SuperSport. Kick-off is 22:10 SAST on Friday night.
What does the result mean for the Springboks in the Nations Championship?
South Africa lead the southern group on 20 points, level with New Zealand, so every point counts. A win in Paris keeps them on course to top the group, and only the group winners play in the Grand Final at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November.