Remarkable stat shows rest of the world should beware of Dupont's replacement

Whether it is for a single match or possibly more, France get their Antoine Dupont-less World Cup campaign underway on Friday against Italy in Lyon.

The scrum-half's broken cheekbone and subsequent surgery is perhaps the most well documented injury in World Cup history, but for Fabien Galthie's side it is now a case of making do without their captain. Bordeaux-Begles' Maxime Lucu is tasked with filling the No9 shirt against their Six Nations rivals- a player who Galthie said this week has "never let us down". In fact, the 30-year-old has done a little more than that.

Since making his Test debut in November 2021 against Georgia, Lucu has gone on to play 17 times for Les Bleus, winning every one of those matches. That is more than never letting your team down.

It must be noted that only five of Lucu's appearances have been starts, the majority of which against Japan, which means Dupont may have often done the spadework to guide France to a victory. The scrum-half is all too aware of that, but that has not stopped him from joking that he might be France's "lucky charm", when asked about his record before the Italy match.

"I don’t know if I’m a lucky charm," the Frenchman said. "In some matches, I come on for two minutes, so the work has been done by the players before me. But if I can play that role until the end of the World Cup, why not? But the victories are more down to the work of the team."

Lucu has now been thrust from having a supporting role behind lead man Dupont to having a starring role in the France team, but says that he brings something different to Galthie's side to the 2021 World Rugby player of the year.

"The pressure has been on for two weeks now," he said. "After Antoine's injury. A captain getting injured is a major factor at a World Cup. I’ve had a lot of messages, but I’ve turned my phone off and concentrated on the last two weeks.

"The French team is a group of 33 players, and everyone has an important role. If we’re here, it’s because we have a role to play. For me, it’s this weekend.

"My game is different to Antoine’s, so there’s no comparison. I’ve been trying to do that for the last 10 days, to manage the expectation, the pressure and the role I have to play. But above all, I want to enjoy the moment.

"When you’re a substitute for Antoine, the captain and number nine, you’re prepared for [having little playing time]. These are things we work on. At international level, the nine and 10 have an important role to play in getting the team going and applying the strategy. The game managers have to be good, and on Friday I have to be good in those areas."