Fans and teammates thought that the participation ofAnthony Dupont at the Rugby World Cup was coming to an end. However, he surprised and relieved everyone. Injured during the match between France and Namibia in the group stage, the captain of the French XV had little chance of returning to the field before the end of the competition. The player, who plays in the scrum position, suffered a maxillo-zygomatic fracture following a high tackle from Johan Deysel. Thanks to the talents of the surgeons and his ability to recover from such an injury, the captain of the Blues will finally be able to take his place on Sunday October 15, 2023.
Indeed, Fabien Galthié’s men are preparing to face South Africa in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup. A few hours before this face-to-face which promises to be intense, Anthony Dupont answered questions from TF1
. During the interview, he notably returned to his feelings at the time of the collision with his Namibian opponent. “In the first moments, the pain was very intense, it lasted in the locker room, I felt when I blew my nose that it was swelling, so I knew there was a fracture somewhere, but I didn’t know where”he remembered before continuing: “I was obviously thinking about the jaw, and we know that a broken jaw requires an operation and three months of recovery, so I didn’t really believe in it”.
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Antoine Dupont will play with a helmet
What followed was an operation and long discussions with doctors to determine if Anthony Dupont would be able to return to the field. He will undoubtedly be fit, but the speed of his recovery, no one really believed. “The first green light was given by the surgeon. I had a consultation on Monday with a control scan which confirmed my total recovery. Then, I discussed with Fabien (Galthié), who really left me the choice to decide and not to force it if I didn’t feel well, insisting on transparency towards the staff”confided the captain of the XV of France.
In the end, it’s his “felt on the ground” who had the last word. In great shape and confident, Anthony Dupont feels ready to face the South Africans. However, he will have to face them with a particular accessory, because he will wear a protective helmet. “Anyway, I know I will be watched and the South African players will probably try to put me under pressure, but I am used to it now”warned the captain, who believes that this situation is ideal for his teammates: “They also know that if they focus too much on me, it will open up spaces for others around me”. Hoping that with our captain, we manage to gain the upper hand over our opponents and reach the semi-final.