Dupont comeback fires up holders France ahead of Six Nations opener against Ireland

France coach Fabien Galthié expects returning talismanic captain Antoine Dupont to spark defending champions France to a higher level in their Six Nations opener against injury-hit Ireland on Thursday.

The 29-year-old scrum-half will be making his first appearance for Les Bleus in 11 months following a cruciate knee ligament injury against the Irish in last season's tournament.

Although France still romped to victory in Dublin once their talisman went off, and sealed the Six Nations title the following week at home to Scotland, Dupont was sorely missed during an uninspired autumn campaign.

France were humbled 32-17 at home by 14-man South Africa before labouring to beat both Fiji and Australia.

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"Antoine Dupont is a plus, that's for sure. He's a plus in many areas, but that means more demands to work harder to match his ambitions – and that's why he's our captain," Galthié said ahead of Thursday night's clash at the Stade de France.

"It means harder work collectively for the players around him, more commitment asked of the team to follow his captaincy and what he imposes on the team, both strategically and in terms of the intensity put on the opposition."

One demand that both Dupont and Galthié will have is that the team improves its discipline, particularly when it comes to offsides.

"The figures showed that we were the most indisciplined team (in the autumn), the most penalised for offside," said Galthié, adding that the coaching staff had focussed heavily on that area.

"That was something that needed a lot of commitment from the players because they also had to change the way they tackle.

"And during these last 10 days, physically as