France captain Antoine Dupont will start at fly-half against South Africa on Friday night in one of the boldest selection calls of Fabien Galthie's time in charge, with injuries having stripped Les Bleus of every recognised No 10 in the squad.

Galthie confirmed the switch on Wednesday, naming Dupont at No 10 for the Nations Championship meeting with the world champions at the Stade de France. Maxime Lucu, who finished last weekend's win over Fiji at fly-half, moves back to his usual scrum-half role, with the two half-backs effectively swapping shirts for the biggest game of France's autumn.

It is a remarkable solution to a remarkable problem. Romain Ntamack, France's first-choice fly-half, dislocated his shoulder against Fiji and is expected to be out for around two months. Matthieu Jalibert, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy are also unavailable, leaving Galthie without a single specialist fly-half of proven Test calibre. Rather than hand the jersey to uncapped Pau playmaker Axel Desperes, who is named among the replacements, the coach has turned to his captain and the best player in the world.

Why Dupont is the answer

Dupont has played fly-half before, but rarely at this level and never in a match of this size. What he does offer is complete command of a game. Against Fiji last Saturday, with Ntamack gone after half an hour, Dupont took charge of the match himself, throwing 75 passes, beating five defenders and scoring a try off the back of a driving maul in a player-of-the-match performance as France ran in eight tries in a 54-17 win in Lyon.

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus had already spent the week warning his players about Dupont, describing him as unpredictable and almost impossible to read. Speaking after naming his own side on Monday, Erasmus admitted he did not know what Dupont would do next, and said that was exactly what made him so difficult to defend. He had guessed that Galthie would pick either Lucu or young centre Kalvin Gourgues at fly-half. Instead, the French coach has gone further, putting the game in the hands of his captain.

The move also changes the shape of the French back line. Gourgues and Yoram Moefana continue in midfield, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang on the wings and Theo Attissogbe at full-back. Julien Marchand returns at hooker between Jean-Baptiste Gros and Sipili Falatea, while Florian Verhaeghe and Mickael Guillard form the second row. Francois Cros, Cameron Woki and Gregory Alldritt make up the back row, with Alldritt ending a near year-long absence from Galthie's squads.

A heavyweight occasion in Paris

The challenge could hardly be greater. South Africa arrive in Paris after demolishing Italy 66-7 and have made only one change to their starting side, with Wilco Louw coming in at tighthead prop for Thomas du Toit. The Springboks have won nine of their last ten Tests against France, including five in a row at the Stade de France, and they sit top of the world rankings.

Friday's match, which kicks off at 8.10pm, is also the last meeting between the two sides before a possible World Cup semi-final in 2027, and it returns them to the scene of their famous 2023 World Cup quarter-final, when South Africa edged France by a single point in Paris. France's injury list has only grown since the Fiji game, with flanker Paul Boudehent, who started and scored in Lyon, ruled out with a calf injury, and Paul Gabrillagues called into the wider squad without making the matchday 23.

For all that, France will believe they have a chance. They scored eight tries last weekend, their back line is finding fluency, and they now have the finest player in the sport steering them from fly-half. If Dupont can run the game against the Springboks the way he ran it against Fiji, Galthie's gamble may come to look like inspiration. If he cannot, France will have handed the world champions exactly the opening they wanted.

France team to face South Africa

France XV: Theo Attissogbe; Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Kalvin Gourgues, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Antoine Dupont (captain), Maxime Lucu; Gregory Alldritt, Cameron Woki, Francois Cros; Mickael Guillard, Florian Verhaeghe; Sipili Falatea, Julien Marchand, Jean-Baptiste Gros. Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Rodrigue Neti, Regis Montagne, Charles Ollivon, Tom Staniforth, Esteban Capilla, Axel Desperes, Emilien Gailleton.