Will Antoine Dupont soon be able to play again with the French XV, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup? Blues assistant coach Karim Ghezal gave clear news on the player’s fitness and what awaits him.
The French XV won comfortably against Italy on Friday October 6, in their last group stage match. He secured first place in this one, and therefore qualification for the quarter-finals. The river score of 60 to 7 for nine tries was a reminder that the France team is formidable, even without its captain, Antoine Dupont. The playmaker, voted best player in the world in 2021, is still on the bench after a facial fracture that occurred during the match against Namibia. Since then, the question of his possible return before the end of the competition has been at the center of concerns. The assistant coach of the Blues gave reassuring news about the player this Saturday, October 7, but without being able to guarantee that he will return to the pitch.
Even declared fit, Antoine Dupont is not sure of playing
Indeed, Antoine Dupont has an appointment on Monday October 9″with the surgeon who operated on him. It is he who will decide, who will validate or not his return to the field“recalled Karim Ghezal to Figaro. Whatever the level of form and desire of the player, his safety requires an external medical opinion before his return to competition. He could thus be declared fit for the quarter-finals in the best case. But another question would then arise: that of the physical state of Antoine Dupont. Indeed, even a player of his level loses performance when he spends too much time without training and competition. The staff could then prefer a more leggy Maxime Lucu.
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Anthony Dupont “didn’t lose much” despite his injury
But according to Karim Ghezal, the Performance cell of the XV of France judged it “in great shape. Physically, Antoine has not lost much despite his two weeks off“His injury did not cause mobility problems, but above all”his physical qualities are impressive. He worked well doing a lot of racing, a lot of speed, his strong points“. If Professor Frédéric Lauwers, authority on maxillofacial surgery who operated on Antoine Dupont, gives his agreement, the captain would therefore have all the cards in hand to return from the quarter-final. We will know this Saturday evening if the Blues will face South Africa, Ireland or even Scotland, in the event of the latter’s exploit against the Clover XV.
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias.
