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| - France will be counting on the dynamic form of star scrum-half Antoine Dupont to energise their Six Nations campaign starting on Saturday against Italy in Rome. The 24-year-old, the Six Nations player of the tournament last year, has been on an upward trajectory since making his France debut in 2017 against Italy in the Stadio Olimpico. France were runners-up in 2020 with the same number of points as champions England, who they beat in Paris, but with a poorer points difference. Dupont's athleticism, running 249m with ball in hand in the competition and with a championship-high 12 offloads, lifted France even though they missed out on their first trophy since 2010. On Saturday, fly-half Matthieu Jalibert will partner Dupont with Toulouse teammate Romain Ntamack, the top scorer in last year's tournament, out with a double jaw fracture. "It's been 10 years since there was a French victory, so there's a lot of desire," said Dupont, as the three-time world runners-up look to get back winning to lay the groundwork for the 2023 World Cup at home. "I joined Toulouse like the French team during a generation change," said the player for south-west, who arrived at the Top 14 side in 2017, the year he won the first of his 27 France caps. "Periods of transition are always complicated. The renewal in the French team, whether the staff or the players, has done a lot of good. "We were able to start again on a healthy basis." The arrival of head coach Fabien Galthie and a new coaching staff has pushed the team in the right direction, Dupont believes. "I've never seen such a large staff. Almost as many (coaches) as players!" he said. "It's matching what other nations are doing, which is to surround themselves with specialists and skills. "Of course, that's not everything, but it brings with it a lot of keys the players can use on the pitch. "The idea is to achieve continuity over the next few years to arrive with experience and maturity at the World Cup." He pointed out that South Africa lost to Italy three years before winning the last World Cup in Japan. "If you look at the last world champions, three years before the World Cup no-one would have bet a euro on them." France are favourites against Italy, who earned a 15th wooden spoon last year and have won just three times in 44 meetings with 'Les Bleus', most recently in February 2013. Franco Smith's 'Azzurri' are also a side in transition with the departure of veterans including emblematic captain Sergio Parisse. They have an average age of 20. "We're continuing to introduce new generations," said South African Smith. The France squad, cut to 31 in a bid to reduce the danger of Covid-19 cases linked to players moving back and forth to their clubs, are in a training camp in Nice. Amid uncertainty, their participation only received the green light on Tuesday, French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu confirming the championship would go ahead "in a bio-secure bubble". bur-ea/pb
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