Kolisi wary of Dupont's influence but Boks remain unfazed

France coach Fabien Galthié has been forced to rethink his options at number 10 following a series of injuries, prompting the decision to move his influential captain from scrumhalf. Speaking after Thursday's captain's run at the Stade de France in Paris, both Kolisi and Stick were asked about the unexpected selection. Kolisi, however, says Dupont's experience in the position means the decision does not come as a surprise.

"He has played at 10 before and he is also very good in that position. He can play almost anywhere on the field so the decision is not surprising at all. This is a normal thing in rugby."

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Maxime Lucu retains the scrumhalf position adding an interesting tactical dimension to Friday's encounter.

Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos are among those unavailable.

Stick believes the real challenge for the Springboks will be managing the understanding between the two players, particularly if they interchange positions during the match.

While much of the attention has been on France's experimental halfback combination, Kolisi insists the Springboks are not planning any major adjustments to accommodate Dupont's positional switch.

France have also acknowledged the difficulty of finding attacking opportunities against a Springbok defence that is renowned for its physicality and ability to close down space.

Galthié believes South Africa's defensive approach makes it particularly difficult for opponents to move the ball freely across the field. 

"Denying the opposition space is always part of our plan because if you give some of the best players in the world time and space, they will punish you. Both packs will want to dominate and that will set the platform for the battle of the backlines." 

Kolisi has also played down suggestions that South Africa's dramatic one-point victory over France in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal will provide a psychological advantage heading into Friday's rematch.

The Springboks edged the hosts 29-28 in one of the tournament's most memorable encounters before going on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.”