Rock solid Lucu and flamboyant Jalibert deliver in Dupont's absence

LYON, France : Maxime Lucu passed his test against Italy with flying colours as Les Bleus stormed into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, and his association with flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert proved lethal in the absence of Antoine Dupont.

The mercurial scrumhalf, who suffered a broken cheekbone two weeks ago, is expected to know on Monday after visiting his doctor whether he is allowed to play in next Sunday's quarter-finals at the Stade de France.

While Dupont's absence would be a blow, coach Fabien Galthie can be confident his halfbacks will be able to deliver, as Lucu showed in the 60-7 demolition of the Azzurri on Friday that he could cope.

His quick, clean releases gave Jalibert - the two were supposed to form the replacement halfback - the time and space to shine. Lucu's Bordeaux-Begles club partner delivered a sterling performance, scoring a splendid try and setting up three.

Risk-taker Jalibert, who has been showing that he was much more than a replacement for the injured Romain Ntamack, produced the magic on an electric, noisy night in Lyon.

"It was the perfect pair for the perfect match," former France coach Pierre Berbizier told sports daily L'Equipe on Saturday.

Winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored his fifth international try in six caps, was in awe. "Matthieu is a player who performs especially well when his team is playing forward," he said.

"Our forwards played a great game, and that's what put him in a position to express all the talent he's known for. When he gets space like that, we know he's one of the best in the world. And for him, it's easier to express himself with all the good players around him."

THREE FINALS

"We need to look at the match again because there are still things we need to work on. We