AMID THE MANY fascinating battles set to play out in Marseille on Friday night, the promise of seeing Grégory Alldritt going up against Caelan Doris is right at the top of the bill.
Both players have the ability to be game-changers for their teams and have been in strong from since returning from the World Cup.
Alldritt was afforded an extended break after France’s semi-final defeat to South Africa but has been back to his bulldozing best since returning with La Rochelle at Christmas.
Doris was back in a Leinster jersey by late November and while the province have yet to hit top from, the 25-year-old has produced some big performances as he continues to develop his game.
It’s been notable that Doris has recently added more aggression to his play. In Leinster’s recent Champions Cup win at Leicester Tigers, Doris scored the bonus-point try which secured home advantage in the round of 16. There was real venom in his carry as Doris powered past two defenders to score with the clock deep in the red.
His ball-carrying in general has been exceptional but the traits which really make Doris stand out are his relentless workrate and his high skill level.
His role in Josh van der Flier’s try against Stade Francais earlier this month was exceptional. Latching onto a loose pass off the ground, Doris shows excellent footwork and balance to gather the ball on the turn before racing forward and stepping inside a Stade defender. In doing so Doris carries Leinster deep into the 22 from a situation where many other players would have looked to quickly release the ball or carry into contact.
That acceleration was also on show when France came to Dublin last year. As Johnny Sexton breaks down the left wing, Doris works hard to get himself in a position to be a passing option for Sexton before receiving the ball and beating three French players for pace.
That France game saw Doris at his influential best.
The Leinster player has put a big focus on his footwork before contact and used that skill to good effect in the lead-up to Hugo Keenan’s try. In a smart set-play from a France goal-line drop-out, Doris’ quick footwork allows him step inside Uini Atonio and gain some important extra yards before Finlay Bealham’s clever pass releases Keenan.
Doris became increasingly prominent in Ireland’s attack as the game wore on.
Early in the second half he produced this excellent offload to find James Lowe.
He then delivered the key pass to send Garry Ringrose over as the game entered the final 10 minutes.
His contribution here is world class: throwing a stunning pass under huge pressure from Gaël Fickou.
Those superb passes were the highlight but it was all part of a complete performance, with Doris also a real threat at the breakdown, producing this big steal as France looked to build pressure late in the first half.
Doris ended a Six Nations classic as the player of the match, making 15 carries for over 100 meters on a day Alldritt lasted just 51 minutes.
He outshone Alldritt that day but the big La Rochelle forward can be a devastating force.
Alldritt has played just four games since his extended post-World Cup break and the rampaging number eight looks refreshed after a gruelling year with France and La Rochelle.
Alldritt returned to action in late December, featuring off the bench against Toulouse before playing the full 80 in a Top 14 win over Pau.
He then delivered a commanding performance as Ronan O’Gara’s team powered to a 45-12 Champions Cup thumping of Leicester Tigers.
Alldritt is a big, powerful ball-carrying but like Doris, the France captain has superb handling skills, as on show in the first half against Tigers in a passage that eventually led to Will Skelton scoring a try from a lineout maul.
Alldritt then had four involvements as UJ Seuteni scored their third try.
First is this big Alldritt carry which brings La Rochelle into the Tigers half.
He’s then involved with another carry as La Rochelle build pressure in the Tigers’ 22.
After stepping in as first receiver Alldritt then works hard to get back involved with another carry, getting through a huge amount of work in a short space of time.
He continued to cause Leicester problems with his ball-carrying in the second half – often gaining extra yards after contact with his powerful leg drives.
Leicester struggled to contain him throughout and he often managed to release the ball while carrying into contact, such as this wonderful first-half offload.
Like Doris, Alldritt is able to produce superb passing under pressure, and did really well to play in Seuteni late in the second half.
In a play not dissimilar to the above Doris carry against Stade, Alldritt gathers a loose pass and turns a potential turnover into a scoring opportunity, turning smartly to slip the first defender before beating another and throwing an excellent pass out wide.
The close-up shows how well Alldritt does to find Seuteni despite having little room to work with.
Alldritt hadn’t yet returned to action when Leinster won at La Rochelle in December but Doris delivered a huge performance at the Stade Marcel Deflandre.
Andy Farrell will surely have enjoyed the physicality Doris brought against La Rochelle’s big ball-carriers, including this tackle to stop Jonathan Danty in his tracks.
The Leinster back row tackled and carried hard throughout, doing well to make ground after contact.
He was also alert to make this important try-saving tackle early in the second half, spotting La Rochelle were going to tap the penalty quickly and getting in a position to deny Tawera Kerr-Barlow.
There was another strong carry late in the second half where Doris again used his footwork to evade the first tackler.
For the neutrals, it was a shame Alldritt wasn’t on the pitch but the La Rochelle man was highly influential as Ronan O’Gara’s men spoiled Leinster’s Champions Cup party in Dublin last year.
Alldritt was heavily involved at Aviva Stadium, making 17 carries in a huge 80-minute performance.
This early fend and carry was typical of his effort throughout, with two Leinster players struggling to get him to ground.
Minutes later Leinster have more success but again, it takes two players to stop him – with Dan Sheehan and James Ryan doing really well to drive him back.
Alldritt then had a chance to get La Rochelle on the scoreboard after Leinster raced into a 17-0 lead, but Doris showed good strength to hold him up.
It takes another good two-man tackle to ground him as La Rochelle look to close the gap in the second half.
On this occasion it’s Ross Molony and Josh van der Flier who combine to force a turnover.
With Leinster then chasing the game in the final five minutes, Alldritt and Doris come up against each other again – Doris making no ground as he slams into the La Rochelle man.
On this occasion it was Alldritt who comes out on top, with the French number eight named player of the match for his starring role in a stunning La Rochelle win.
It will be fascinating to see who edges their latest battle on Friday night.