New Zealand defence coach Scott Hansen said on Tuesday the All Blacks’ inexperienced scrum-halves will be motivated to face France superstar Antoine Dupont this weekend.
The three-time Rugby World Cup winners head to Paris on Saturday to face a Les Bleus side captained by their number nine, Dupont.
Dupont returned to the France 15-a-side team in last weekend’s win over Japan, providing two assists in an influential display, four months on from Olympic rugby sevens success.
Hansen’s side are likely to start either Cam Roigard or Cortez Ratima, with experienced TJ Perenara also in the squad.
“They’ll be inspired to play against, essentially, the master on the weekend,” Hansen told reporters.
“He’s an absolute pleasure to watch. He’s out there, he loves the game, he plays with great passion, he’s obviously a great leader.
“He’s a phenomenal player and one I’ve watched for many years and really enjoyed watching him.
“Many would say he’s one of the greatest already.”
Since winning Olympic gold in July, Dupont’s fame has extended to an international audience.
The Toulouse man spent his post-Games holiday in the United States, rubbing shoulders with NBA great LeBron James and Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi.
“You want to see superstars,” Hansen said.
“It’s what grows the game. It’s what makes young girls and boys want to play rugby and we want to see him play.”
The All Blacks have recovered from a sluggish start to Scott Robertson’s time in charge to beat Japan, England and Ireland in the space of three weeks.
Hansen refused to give an assessment of their end-of-year tour, which they finish by facing Italy next week.
“We’ll talk about the tour as a whole later on,” Hansen said.
“But we know where all our energy is going to be and that’s on our fantastic French team.”
For their trip to the Stade de France, where they lost by one point to South Africa in last year’s Rugby World Cup final, New Zealand will be without winger Mark Tele’a and flanker Sam Cane.
Cane, 32, is in his final international season before joining Suntory Sungoliath in Japan next year.
The Test centurion is likely to be replaced in the back-row by 21-year-old Peter Lakai, who is set for just his second cap.
“We know what Sam’s future looks like, but where he is currently, he’s done nothing but care, support and guide the young group,” Hansen said.
“His performances have also been outstanding.
“The opportunity now is for Peter Lakai and the group to step up and Sam will be there right with them.”