Boks wary but well prepared for Antoine Dupont threat at flyhalf

With France four flyhalves down due to injuries, the dangerous Dupont has been selected to fill the void, but the prodigious talent is hardly a stopgap. He will be serviced by the experienced Maxime Lucu in a role reversal of last week's lineup against Fiji. 

"They've got very good physical players, especially among their forwards, but No. 9 and No. 10 is where it's going to get tricky," admitted Stick.

"I have no doubt that even though Dupont will be wearing the No. 10 jersey, he's going to have licence to do whatever he wants between the two positions.

"Remember that Lucu has also covered 10 in the past, so between the two of them there'll be freedom to keep swapping in general play. You'll probably see Dupont at the breakdowns at No 9, and Lucu at first receiver at times. So, we know what they want to achieve.

"That said, if we allow that halfback combination time and space with ball in hand, they have the potential to punish us, so our main focus point is to make sure we don't allow that. They also have very dangerous outside backs, and they've selected very quick players."

Elaborating on the rest of the French team and what the Boks wanted to achieve in the match, Stick placed emphasis on defence.

"It's no secret how we operate on defence," he added.

"We have our strengths and weaknesses, and denying the opposition space will always be part of our plan.

"If you're playing against the best in the world, guys like Dupont and [Louis] Bielle-Biarrey have the potential to test you thoroughly if they have an opportunity to make their mark.

"Also, you don't want to allow teams to get on top of you, especially with playmakers like Lucu and Dupont. Dupont, in particular, will stay on top of you, and he's very good at making decisions under pressure, and on the other side you have Lucu, who is probably one of the best in game management, and he has a good kicking game.

"If I look at the profiles of the two teams, both packs want momentum and want to dominate, and that will set the platform for both backlines. So, if we get quick ball with the backline players we've got, we also have the potential to punish France."