Steven Kitshoff has singled out the individual duel he is most looking forward to when the Springboks take on France on Friday in round five of the Nations Championship.

Rassie Erasmus has already named his team that will run out at the Stade de France for a match against the side that South Africa eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Cobus Reinach was the starting No.9 for the Springboks on that seminal Sunday night in Paris three years ago, with Faf de Klerk providing cover from the bench. However, the recent emergence of Morne van den Berg has shaken up the scrum-half position.

He was given his first international start of 2026 in the final match of the Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, forcing his way into the line-up for the September 12 decider in Baltimore.

“Really clever…”

The 29-year-old was then chosen to start against Italy in last weekend’s Nations Championship resumption, and he has kept his spot to face France with Erasmus deciding it is best for the Springboks that Reinach is held in reserve.

This selection sets up the intriguing head-to-head battle featuring the late-blooming 12-cap Springbok going in against the 65-cap Antoine Dupont, the soon-to-be 30-year-old whom many consider to be the best in the world in the nine position.

Although he forged his career in the front-row, retired prop Kitshoff is well able to appreciate the merits of talented backs clashing and he has singled out Friday’s scrum-half battle as the contest that has him licking his lips.

Appearing on the latest For the Love of Rugby South Africa show, the former loosehead said: “The way that Morne is currently playing, he has got a lot of Dupont in him. Why I’m saying that is because he’s got the physicality. Like, that try he scored off the maul against the Italians, I thought it was really clever and very physical of him.

“He has got that physical edge which Dupont always had. He is a great ball carrier, he is a good sniper, he takes a lot of opportunities around the breakdown. Morne has been playing really a South African style of rugby, a brand where he has got the ability to attack and has got the ability to snipe and be a threat around the breakdown.

“He has also got a great defensive game. I’ll never forget, it was his debut or his second Test match where he came on for 20 minutes and he made like 15 tackles in that 20 minutes.

“That was one of the highlights for me about Morne: just the way he moves and the work rate he brings but also doubling up on that against the Italians and against a team where the forward pack is so dominant and he just thrives off the back of that.

“The Morne-Dupont battle is going to be a key one this weekend. It’s going to be such a big play and it’s going to be a big determining factor on which side of the pitch the momentum is going to lie. We all know Dupont; we know what he is capable of. We have seen a glimpse of what Morne can do, so it’s going to be a big battle.

“Morne has watched Dupont and is trying to emulate some of these things and also thinks he is a great scrummy, so it’s going to be a massive challenge and I’m licking my lips for that challenge. It’s going to be it’s going to be amazing.”

Co-host Trevor Nyakane, a former Springboks teammate of Kitshoff at prop, agreed. “It’s going to definitely be a great one because Morne also has that engine that he can tap into. That man does not get tired, so he will go at him for the full game.

“It’s going to be quite interesting. Dupont has that physicality, but Morne also has the same physical, aggressive kind of play. He is that scrum-half that you will see down the breakdown stealing a ball here and there, so he gets himself involved in games which is a plus.

“It’s that bonus that you need from one or two players to go for that extra mile. So, him and Dupont against each other, that’s going to be a tasty one. It’s mouthwatering. I can’t wait for the game to kick off.”

Switching to another threat the French will pose, Kitshoff suggested the entire Springbok team will be on red alert to keep tabs on Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the incredibly potent winger. Reflecting on last Saturday’s comprehensive win over Italy, the ex-prop highlighted what he feels is a repeated flaw in the South African defence.

“The Italians scored their one try from a maul; they put it up just outside of the 15 and then a big pass across back to the lock to score in the corner. It almost feels like there is a bit of a pattern developing.

“I don’t want to give away too much to the French so they can use this tactic against the Boks, but sometimes it feels like the Springboks are so aggressive off the line and they want to hit guys behind the advantage line.

“But we know what the French can do; they love to play the pick-and-go game. We always see their wingers hovering around the breakdown looking for little offloads, playing that pick-and-go game, keeping the ball alive.

“Dupont loves to start it, but then as soon as Louis Bielle-Biarrey gets involved in that scenario, it becomes quite dangerous and that’s probably one of the areas where we would have to watch him the most.

“I’m sure the Springboks will have their defensive structures geared and everyone will be wide awake, especially that first, second and third pillar; make sure that is where you look first before you even think about going to the wider channel or trying to catch up.

“You need to make sure that around the breakdown is where you defensively need to be strong. That is probably the first point. And then secondly, we know there’s going to be linebreaks from the French.

“They have got great runners. (Peato) Mauvaka hits unbelievable lines and he has got the ability to offload as soon as he makes a linebreak, so how well we first of all stop their momentum with front-up hits is going to be a big factor.

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“And then if they do make a linebreak, do we have the ability to turn and burn and actually catch these guys from behind? So that is where Louis Bielle-Biarrey scores a lot of his tries. That’s how Dupont scores a lot of his tries. It’s the support play that they have in the French team and how they play with their attackers.

“We know Jesse Kriel is amazing in this and we know Ethan Hooker has the ability to turn and burn and catch a guy from behind, but it’s how well do we first of all front up and hit them behind the advantage line, not allow line breaks and offloads,

“And then secondly, if they do get it, how quickly can we turn and burn and chase lost causes and actually get the guys on the ground and to create a ruck opportunity?”

Nyakane appreciated his co-host’s analysis. “You basically almost summed up the way the French actually really do want to play. You couldn’t have said it any better.”