Legendary Springboks flanker Schalk Burger has warned Rassie Erasmus’ charges about where France are ‘unstoppable’ with Antoine Dupont back.

Les Bleus are dealing with a lengthy injury list ahead of the Nations Championship clash at the Stade de France on Friday evening, particularly at fly-half where Fabien Galthie is without his first-choice options in Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert.

Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy’s unavailability will further test the French playmaking stocks, but Burger believes that scrum-half Maxime Lucu will slot in and do a fine job against the Boks. He pointed to past French number nines who seamlessly moved to fly-half when needed as evidence that it can be done.

Schalk Burger: Antoine Dupont makes France unstoppable

However, the former back-rower believes that Dupont’s fitness is a bigger threat to the Springboks, with the Les Bleus skipper tackling South Africa for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final after missing last year’s meeting due to injury.

Burger issued his warning about Dupont’s influence on the Verdict show, where he was joined by fellow former Springboks Jean de Villiers and Hanyani Shimange.

In reviewing France’s win over Fiji in the first weekend of Nations Championship fixtures this November, Burger pointed to the scrum as an area of the game that the Springboks could target. However, he identified Dupont as being a real weapon in the opposition 22.

“A couple of things that were interesting about it. The Fiji scrum was good, and that goes with your theory [Shimange’s] that France is going to be under pressure at scrum time against the Boks,” the 2007 World Cup winner said.

“What you’ve got to be aware of with Dupont being back is that in the 22, they’re unstoppable. He can run the game from nothing.

“He does a cross kick in the 22 from the base; he picks and goes like a flanker. Remember the 2023 World Cup: every entry they had to the Boks’ 22, maul try – Mauvaka off the back of that try how quickly and how fast they play in your 22. It’s almost like they create chaos in attack, so as a defender, you can’t keep up.”

France will be fine with Maxime Lucu at 10

De Villiers then highlighted the enormity of France’s unavailability list with the likes of Emmanuel Meafou, Julien Marchand, Thibaud Flament, and Anthony Jelonch all depleting the pack. That, paired with the injuries in the backs, prompted the centre to ask whether Les Bleus can still pack the same punch up front as they did in the 2023 World Cup.

“In the pack, they will always have those big boys,” Burger replied before weighing in on the selection at fly-half.

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“At 10, like for one Test against the Boks, I actually think they’re going to be fine. They’re going to have someone step up at 10, like Lucu, and they are generals. You think in our era they had players that did both, like Freddie Michalak, but Dimitri Yachvili was the best of the lot and kicks for goal and does anything.

“I don’t see it being too big of an issue obviously Jalibert best attacking fly in European rugby but who says Maxime Lucu can’t play 10.”