TOULOUSE SCRUM-HALF Antoine Dupont will captain France during next month’s Test series with Charles Ollivon injured, the French Rugby Federation announced on Monday.
Dupont, 24, is considered one of the world’s leading players and stands in for Ollivon, who is out until next year with a serious knee injury.
The half-back, who has made 32 Test appearances since his debut in 2017, pipped domestic team-mate and childhood friend Anthony Jelonch, Toulouse captain Julien Marchand as well as Racing 92 centre Gael Fickou and La Rochelle’s No. 8 Gregory Alldritt to the role.
Les Bleus host Argentina on 6 November, Georgia eight days later and New Zealand on 20 November over the coming four weeks.
Earlier, Toulouse tight-head prop Dorian Aldegheri replaced La Rochelle’s Uini Atonio in the squad.
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Atonio, 31, has a muscle injury and was replaced after an hour in his club’s Top14 victory over Toulon on Sunday.
Aldegheri, 28, will compete with Lyon’s Demba Bamba and Castres’ Wilfrid Hounkpatin for a starting berth.
Fabien Galthie’s squad met up at their training base on Sunday, and will miss their club games next weekend.
Meanwhile, Michele Lamaro has been named Italy’s new captain, as the Azzurri prepare for a daunting clash with New Zealand in their opening autumn Test match.
The Benetton flanker will lead Italy in three matches next month against the All Blacks, Argentina and Uruguay all at the Stadio Olimpico in Lamaro’s home town of Rome.
The Test series will be the first set of matches under the tutelage of new coach Kieran Crowley, who Lamaro played for at Benetton.
“It’s a great honour for me to named captain,” Lamaro said in a statement.
“My first thought after receiving the news from Kieran Crowley was to my family and all the people who have supported me over the years.”
The 23-year-old takes the armband off Luca Bigi, who captained Italy through their most recent Six Nations campaign, in which they lost all five matches and picked up the wooden spoon.
Bigi became captain after Italian rugby legend Sergio Parisse stepped down from the position after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
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Antoine Dupont named France captain for November Tests
TOULOUSE SCRUM-HALF Antoine Dupont will captain France during next month’s Test series with Charles Ollivon injured, the French Rugby Federation announced on Monday.
Dupont, 24, is considered one of the world’s leading players and stands in for Ollivon, who is out until next year with a serious knee injury.
The half-back, who has made 32 Test appearances since his debut in 2017, pipped domestic team-mate and childhood friend Anthony Jelonch, Toulouse captain Julien Marchand as well as Racing 92 centre Gael Fickou and La Rochelle’s No. 8 Gregory Alldritt to the role.
Les Bleus host Argentina on 6 November, Georgia eight days later and New Zealand on 20 November over the coming four weeks.
Earlier, Toulouse tight-head prop Dorian Aldegheri replaced La Rochelle’s Uini Atonio in the squad.
Atonio, 31, has a muscle injury and was replaced after an hour in his club’s Top14 victory over Toulon on Sunday.
Aldegheri, 28, will compete with Lyon’s Demba Bamba and Castres’ Wilfrid Hounkpatin for a starting berth.
Fabien Galthie’s squad met up at their training base on Sunday, and will miss their club games next weekend.
Meanwhile, Michele Lamaro has been named Italy’s new captain, as the Azzurri prepare for a daunting clash with New Zealand in their opening autumn Test match.
The Benetton flanker will lead Italy in three matches next month against the All Blacks, Argentina and Uruguay all at the Stadio Olimpico in Lamaro’s home town of Rome.
The Test series will be the first set of matches under the tutelage of new coach Kieran Crowley, who Lamaro played for at Benetton.
“It’s a great honour for me to named captain,” Lamaro said in a statement.
“My first thought after receiving the news from Kieran Crowley was to my family and all the people who have supported me over the years.”
The 23-year-old takes the armband off Luca Bigi, who captained Italy through their most recent Six Nations campaign, in which they lost all five matches and picked up the wooden spoon.
Bigi became captain after Italian rugby legend Sergio Parisse stepped down from the position after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
© – AFP, 2021
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