Before France takes on the reigning champions South Africa in a tantalising World Cup quarterfinal on Sunday in Paris, Matthieu Jalibert acknowledged that the return of talisman captain Antoine Dupont has given his team a tremendous lift.
Les Bleus’ 26-year-old scrum-half will captain the team into their round of eight match less than three weeks after breaking his cheekbone against Namibia, which put his future participation in the competition in doubt.
Hold-off Jalibert is excited about the chance to play with his half-back partner again because he thinks Dupont’s presence will give the Boks something more to be concerned about.
Jalibert remarked, “The whole team is very happy to have him back.” “Knowing that he can lead us into this quarterfinal, we are glad to have him here. Playing with him is a delight every time. Playing with him and getting used to his style of play is simple.
It greatly boosts our confidence. We are aware of his ability to have a significant impact and his ability to intimidate adversaries.
We have more room around him as a result. He’s always a benefit to have around. He is operating at full capacity even with the scrum cap on.
The French are encouraged not only by the return of their on-field leader but also by the assistance of a partisan home support system.
In order to lessen the likelihood that they will feel scared when they run out at a packed Stade de France, the South Africans disclosed this week that they had been practising with noise streaming through the speakers to mimic the affects of the French audience.
Since being upset by Scotland in a closed-door Six Nations match two and a half years ago, Les Bleus have not lost at home. Full-back Thomas Ramos is “not surprised” that their opponents are taking action to lessen the effect of what is expected to be an electrifying atmosphere.
He stated, “The South Africans remember Marseille last year,” alluding to Les Bleus’ November 30-26 triumph. “The ambiance was amazing. A great deal of noise was made.
On the pitch, it was nearly hard to hear one another. That’s what they seem to recall, and they must have watched the Six Nations and the World Cup matches against New Zealand.
“The French public is anticipated to create a strong atmosphere.” That South Africa trains with a lot of noise is not surprising.
The French capital is experiencing noticeably lower temperatures this weekend after the tournament got underway in the midst of a late-summer heat wave last month.
Regarding the increasingly fall weather, Ramos stated, “It doesn’t necessarily change anything.” It could be slightly superior.
It can be challenging to set up your play when the ball is slick and you want to make passes. That was evident in the last game, which was played last week in Lyon against Italy.
“The circumstances will differ, but it will improve our mood all through the game.”
Raphael Ibanez, the manager of the French team, is hoping that home advantage offers Les Bleus a tiny advantage as they attempt to eliminate the three-time winners, with the two teams barely separated in the top three rankings of the globe.
“It’s a major game,” Ibanez declared. We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup than playing South Africa, the competition’s four-time winner, in front of our home supporters at the Stade de France during the final stages.
“I believe we have an advantage because we’ll be playing at Stade de France in front of supporters and fans.”
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