The Blues scrum half, injured against Namibia on September 21, was started on Friday to return to the field during the quarter-final against the Springboks on Sunday.
So we had to wait 24 days. An extremely short deadline for some, interminable for others. Antoine Dupont will return to the French XV on Sunday October 15 against South Africa, a little over three weeks after his jaw injury against Namibia on September 21. “The convalescence went well. I was lucky to have several weeks to regain all my physical and technical means to be ready for this match”rejoiced the Toulouse resident, Friday October 13, when announcing the team composition.
On the evening of September 21, the cry of astonishment from the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, during the slow motion of the head tackle by Johan Deysel, set the tone for the violence of the shock.
After his immediate exit from the field, the first hours were filled with questions. The media present at the post-match press conference even bombarded Fabien Galthié with questions, leaving a night of doubt hanging over the French XV. The next day, the ax fell: jaw fracture, maxillo-zygomatic in medical jargon. A period of questions then followed, in particular on the duration of the French star’s absence. Some suggested the possibility of seeing him again in the quarter-finals, but most of the experts interviewed saw his competition over. It was not a time for optimism given the usual history of recovery from such an injury.
A countdown to the quarter-final
“Hit but not sunk.” This is what Antoine Dupont announced in response on his social networks the day after the operation, his only official communication until Friday. And what communication: his message was “liked” more than 128,000 times on X (formerly Twitter), a sign of its current dimension in the oval sphere, but also new in the hearts of the French public. The prodigy, who started in Auch with Anthony Jelonch, still had to move into a new dimension for this World Cup at home. If he shined on the field, he then shone through his absence.
Returning home to rest in the Toulouse region, Dupont took a break from competition for ten days. And the hope of a return flared up in sparks. Shaun Edwards, the defense coach of the French XV, lit the first fuse: “If we reach these final stages, I would be very surprised if Antoine is not available for the quarter-finals or semi-finals”, he said in his weekly column of Daily Mail. The next day, the FFR started: “In a few days, Antoine Dupont will be able to return to the French team in a process of gradual sporting resumption under medical supervision.she noted in a press release.
A daily soap opera
William Servat, the forward coach of the French XV, even got a little carried away three days later, on September 26, opening up not only the prospect of a return to the quarterfinals, but also, why not, during the last group match against Italy on October 6, just two weeks after his injury. “I don’t necessarily have too many doubts about his ability to play [l’éventuel] quarterfinal. It’s more the Italy match that concerns me.”, he had launched.
Finally, on September 28, the health manager of the Blues had calmed down, medically speaking. “It is evolving very favorably. I don’t think we can see it against Italy, I’m convinced of that. We are not planning beyond next week. For the quarter-final? We cannot yet ask this question. There are so many things to validate”, he said at a press conference.
A week before the decisive match against Italy, the prospect of seeing him return to this “round of 16” for qualification was almost buried, and confirmed by the announcement of the composition, Wednesday October 4: no Antoine Dupont, replaced by Maxime Lucu.
In the meantime, the scrum half from Stade Toulousain, who has never been so essential to the French XV, had resumed individual training, observing his teammates from afar, with a black eye as the only visible aftereffect of his injury. To validate his presence against South Africa, he only needed two green lights: that of his surgeon in Toulouse, then that of the XV of France, then.
The first gave his approval on Monday, and it didn’t take long: the next day, Antoine Dupont was back in collective training. “Today, we trained with moderate intensity, we will increase the slider then (…) The goal was above all to reconnect with the team. If he is on the field, it “is that he is 100%”, Laurent Labit, the attack coach, said the same day.
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Helmet screwed on the head, stamp to Matthieu Jalibert : “Toto” came back as if he had never left. The long wait therefore ended at the start of the week. Close to its epilogue, the Dupont saga offered little doubt about his presence against the colossal Springboks on Sunday. Starting with defense coach Shaun Edwards. “He hasn’t lost any weight, there isn’t a gram of fat on him. Given his level, I will support him to be integrated directly into the team. He is a leader. We are confident that he will be able to play against the Springboks.” he had argued in the Daily Mail on October 9, six days before the match.
“He is at 100% of his capabilities and there is no reason to disrupt anything,” William Servat confirmed the next day. The day before the line-up, Cobus Reinach, the South African scrum-half starting for the quarter-final, said: “We didn’t talk much between us about whether he was going to play or not. He’s a phenomenal player. Every time he plays, it’s like we’re replaying the best moments of a match Magic.”
When announcing his tenure on Friday October 13, Fabien Galthié assured: “We didn’t force anything, we managed his injury calmly because we had time.” Antoine Dupont went in the same direction: “I didn’t feel any pressure from the staff, we met the deadlines. If I play today, it’s because I feel good and the medical team has validated all the steps.” This moment completed his return as much as it closed this long period of uncertainty for the player, the French XV, the supporters, but also their opponents, the South Africans. Because they too probably haven’t missed a beat of this endless soap opera.