2023-09-23 07:21:08
The captain of the XV of France Antoine Dupont, victim of a broken jaw Thursday before Namibia, was operated on Friday evening, indicated the French Rugby Federation.
Published on: 09/23/2023 – 09:21 Modified on: 09/23/2023 – 11:19
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“Within a few days”, the scrum half and captain of the French team, Antoine Dupont, “will be able to return to the French team in a process of progressive sporting resumption and under medical control”, said clarified the FFR, without giving further information.
The return of the superstar of the Blues, hosts and favorites of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, is good news for the French XV, even if its exact resumption date is not yet known.
Doctor Bernard Dusfour, former president of the medical commission of the National Rugby League (LNR), explained to AFP on the eve of this operation that, in the event of surgery, the minimum unavailability for a high-level athlete is “four weeks”. Which would only allow a return to the semi-final at best.
“I have always said that the problem in rugby is playing injured players. It is not a good idea. And the question we will have to ask ourselves is the question that Fabien Galthié will have to ask himself with all his staff: is Lucu at 100% or Couilloud at 100% inferior to Antoine Dupont, who was operated on, who received a blow to the head?”, he added .
“Touched but not sunk”
Thursday, Antoine Dupont (26 years old, 51 caps) “suffered a maxillo-zygomatic fracture”, victim of a violent blow to the head during the river victory against Namibia (96-0).
The day after this third success in the World Cup, the French rugby superstar, named best player on the planet in 2021, returned to Toulouse to consult specialists and “do additional imaging exams”, explained to AFP Didier Lacroix, the president of his club, Stade Toulouse.
At the same time, attack coach Laurent Labit said he hoped for Dupont’s return: “For us, Antoine did not finish the competition”.
The captain of the XV of France also gave news on X (formerly Twitter). “Touched but not sunk. Show must go on. Looking forward to seeing the group again,” he wrote.
Master of playing
The Blues’ next match is set for October 6, against Italy, their last group match in Lyon. Then, except in the event of a surprise defeat and therefore a probable elimination-fiasco, there will come a titanic quarter-final in mid-October against one of the two giants of the moment, the South African title holders or the Irish world number ones. .
A long absence of Dupont would be a very hard blow to the Blues’ dreams of coronation, already deprived of his partner at the hinge, the fly-half Romain Ntamack, forfeited for the entire competition.
Since the arrival of Fabien Galthié at the head of the Blues, Dupont, 26, has played 31 matches, all as a starter, for only four defeats. Without him, France fell four times in eleven matches…
Voted best player in the world in 2021, he is the master player of the system put in place by the coach for four years.
With AFP
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