Will Antoine Dupont be the captain of the XV of France which will win at Twickenham for the first time since 2005 in the Six Nations Tournament? The scrum half of the Blues will lead his men in the Crunch on Saturday (5:45 p.m.) with the ambition of ending the series of French defeats in this enclosure. But above all with a view to staying in contention for a victory in the competition, as Ireland travel to Scotland the next day.
Does Twickenham have an impressive side for opposing teams?
ANTOINE DUPONT. We are lucky to play in big stadiums in this competition, and we know that it is very difficult to win away from home, even more so here because we haven’t done it since 2005. We know how difficult that is. going to be, but we are prepared to play these kinds of matches.
Does this group rather want to take revenge on the last two defeats of 2020 and 2021 here?
Not especially, even if we necessarily play to win. In 2020, it was a different context with the Autumn Nations Cup and this match lost in extra time with a revamped team. The other time, we finished at three points (23-20), and it was very little.
Is it the year or never to beat England here?
I’m not sure about that. Two years ago, a lot of people predicted us favorites, but we still lost this match. Even if they are not playing their best rugby at the moment, they have an experienced squad that knows how to find themselves in the big moments. I trust them to be there tomorrow (Saturday).
Marcus Smith will start in ten in place of the usual captain Owen Farrell. What does it change for you?
He is a player who likes to attack the line, with dueling qualities that we all know. He is less in management, but it is an asset for them to have Farrell on the bench. We know the importance of late matches in international matches, and he can bring something in the last twenty minutes at the end. But their strategy does not depend on a man. Smith also knows how to put pressure on the opposing team, and he is more dangerous in duels. But Farrell is very strong in defense.
Is it important after the defeat in Ireland to come and win here in this year of the World Cup?
You don’t recontextualize like that. We know that we have to win tomorrow to claim victory in the Tournament, the other objectives will come later.
Jonathan Danty resumes his starting position. What do you expect from him?
Let him play as he knows how to do, with his qualities of power and explosiveness. He did us a lot of good last year in the middle of the field to physically dominate the opponents.
How are you going to supervise your pillar Dorian Aldegheri for his first selections in two years?
Dorian has known the international level, he knows the requirements he asks for. With Toulouse, he plays high-level matches, final stages. His start to the season shows that he had ambitions to return to the France team. He knows the system, the level and knows how to prepare.