Wales assistant coach Alex King has likened France scrum-half Antoine Dupont to All Blacks legend Dan Carter ahead of the teams’ clash in Paris.
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King has waxed lyrical about the Les Bleus captain as Wales prepare to face the in-form French at the Stade de France in their final Six Nations match of 2023.
A bonus-point win for France would heap the pressure on Six Nations pace-setters Ireland, who will face England in Dublin shortly after the Paris meeting.
Dan Carter comparison
Ahead of tackling the French and after their impressive 53-10 win over England last time out, King found time to praise Dupont for his big game influence.
“Dupont is probably in the best form of any scrum-half I have seen,” said the Wales coach.
“His ability to flick the switch from defence to attack is sensational, really. They have got players across the board that if you allow them time and space, they can make an afternoon very difficult, as we saw at Twickenham.
“He is deceptively strong and he has this ability to get out of situations in which you think you have cornered him.
“Suddenly there is an off-load and the French get into their flow. He is quite remarkable and his skill-set is phenomenal.
“I suppose Dan Carter in his prime with the All Blacks had a similar influence on games.
“Dupont is certainly a player who is right at the top of his game. I spoke to a few friends who were at Twickenham last weekend and they all said it was a pleasure to watch him play.”
Indeed, the Welsh will have their work cut out and with Liam Williams sidelined, their job has become even tougher, with King highlighting France’s strengths.
Difficult test awaits
“They are incredibly physical,” he added. “It was an area they won hands-down against England. I don’t think England had an area in the game where they could get a foothold.
“We are going to learn from that game. I am not going to give too much away in interview, but we will have a plan and it is up to us to get it right and execute it on Saturday.”
Wales will name their starting team on Thursday and with Williams injured, it could be either Leigh Halfpenny or Louis Rees-Zammit in the 15 shirt in Paris.
The Welsh will be determined to build on their recent victory over Italy as they put in a much-improved showing in Rome, but this is a much harder opponent.