2023-10-13 12:06:19
A little more than three weeks after his operation for a maxillo-zygomatic fracture, Antoine Dupont will start on Sunday for the telluric clash against the South Africans, reigning world champions, in the quarter-final of the World Cup. He explained that he “felt good” and had not received any pressure from the French management to play against the Springboks.
Published on: 10/13/2023 – 12:06 Modified on: 10/13/2023 – 12:08
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French rugby player Antoine Dupont will regain his starting place at scrum half, as well as his captain’s stripes, in the French XV which will face South Africa, Sunday October 15, in the quarter-finals of the Cup of the world.
The Toulouse player (26 years old, 51 caps) has not played since his injury on September 21 against Namibia (96-0). The rest of the composition, revealed on Friday, does not change compared to the team which largely dominated Italy (60-7) on the last day of the group stage.
Operated on September 22, “Toto” began a race against time to be operational on time. Back in the group, and after obtaining a favorable opinion from his surgeon on Monday, he participated in contact training for the Blues on Tuesday and Wednesday under the guidance of coach Fabien Galthié.
A leading figure in French rugby, leader of a French XV in search of a first world crown, the captain of the Blues declared, Friday October 13, to be “in full capacity” of his game, of his means, that this either physical or technical, “to be ready for Sunday”. A match that he is preparing to play wearing a helmet, like this week in training. “It was a wish of the surgeon who suggested this to me, more than suggested in fact (smile). I have no problem with it so I went to put it in,” he explained.
“I didn’t receive any pressure from the staff, no decision was forced, we respected the deadlines, the steps were progressive. The most important thing was my feeling, so that I didn’t play not with a brake. If I hadn’t been able to play, I would have been replaced in the best possible way, whether it was Baptiste (Couilloud, editor’s note) or Maxime (Lucu, editor’s note). If I play today, it “I feel good and the medical has validated my place on the match sheet”, added the scrum-half.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey preferred to Gabin Villière
After three training sessions in Rueil-Malmaison and two weeks of physical training in Aix-en-Provence, Antoine Dupont will find the usual members of the French team against South Africa, including his pivotal partner. , Bordeaux-Bègles opener Matthieu Jalibert (24 years old, 29 selections).
The other starters who crushed Italy last week are also in the game, like Thomas Ramos (28 years old, 30 selections) at the back, a pair of centers Gaël Fickou (29 years old, 84 selections .) – Jonathan Danty (30 years old, 25 sel.) or the third line of combat, formed by Charles Ollivon (30 years old, 38 sel.), Grégory Alldritt (26 years old, 44 sel.) and Anthony Jelonch (27 years old , 28 sel.)
Finally, Damian Penaud (26 years old, 47 selections) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey (20 years old, 6 selections), preferred to Gabin Villière, take their places on the wings while the second line formed by Thibaud Flament (26 years old, 22 sel.) and Cameron Woki (24 years old, 26 sel.) is also reappointed.
Maxime Lucu, replacing Antoine Dupont against Italy, joins a bench built around six forwards and two backs, with versatile flanker Sekou Macalou capable of also playing on the wing.
The starting XV against South Africa: Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarrey – (o) Jalibert, (m) Dupont (cap.) – Ollivon, Alldritt, Jelonch – Flament, Woki – Atonio, Mauvaka, Baille
Substitutes: Bourgarit, Wardi, Aldegheri, R. Taofifenua, Cros, Macalou, Lucu, Moefana
With AFP
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