2023-09-12 17:48:41
Ligaments ruptured on February 26, operated on March 6, captain of the French XV in the World Cup on September 14. Anthony Jelonch is already making his comeback on the field this Thursday, against Uruguay. The third row gave his impressions at a press conference this Tuesday.
You return after your injury as captain. What do you feel and have you doubted?
ANTHONY JELONCH. I am very happy to come back. I had doubts at the start of my rehabilitation, but I knew that I had 6 months, I really had this World Cup in mind, I worked very hard to give myself the chance to participate. Being captain is a huge source of pride for me, I will do everything to lead this team to victory.
How have these six months been since your operation?
I had surgery on March 6, a little over six months ago. I had doubts, but at each step, I moved forward. I spent 5 weeks with Bruno Boussagol, the physiotherapist of the French team, in Montpellier, then 4 weeks at the Stade Toulouse, then at the CERS in Capbreton. I wasn’t in a routine, that helped me. I will give everything now. My knee is holding up well, I have the green light from all the physiotherapists, doctors, surgeons who have been following me since the beginning. In my head I am 100%.
How do you explain this mental strength to come back?
I come from a world where the mind takes up a lot of space, from a very young age. I’m from the countryside, that helps too. This goal, the World Cup, helped me come back quickly and strong. This injury ultimately made me grow.
Have you discussed the role of captain with your friend Antoine Dupont?
Players like him are there to help me for these three days until the match, even if they are not on the scoresheet, they have a say. This is what makes this group strong. Even me, in recovery, if I wanted to say something, I could. There are several leaders, Antoine, Charles (Ollivon), Gaël (Fickou)… the strong guys in this team, they talk all the time and lead this group.
You were captain on tour in Australia in 2021, what memories do you have of it?
I had this experience on this tour in Australia, it went pretty well for the team, we won one test out of the three and narrowly lost the other two, while we were promised hell. It made us grow and me as a leader. I remember the positive.
How did you feel when you learned that you could play in this World Cup?
I’ve been preparing for this for a few weeks, I was training hard all last week. Fabien (Galthié) told me: you choose the match you are going to play. I told him: as quickly as possible. He told me that I was captain this weekend, I was very happy. I thought about all the hard times since this injury. I’m not a very emotional person, but it’s a lot of fun. I can’t wait to be on the pitch on Thursday. It’s the first time I’ve come to Lille to play rugby, it’s more of a football region. We’re going to give them the best show possible.
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