Antoine Dupont has regained his starting place at scrum-half, as well as his captain’s stripes, in the starting XV which will face South Africa on Sunday in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The Toulouse player (26 years old, 51 caps), operated on for a maxillo-zygomatic fracture, 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 phase.
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. A little more than three weeks after his injury, Dupont will therefore start for the telluric clash against the Springboks reigning world champions.
Antoine Dupont “at 100% of his abilities”
A leading figure in French rugby, leader of a French XV in search of a first world crown, the captain of the Blues “is at 100% of his abilities”, assured Wednesday the coach of the French scrum William Servat. After three training sessions in Rueil-Malmaison and two weeks of physical training in Aix-en-Provence, he will therefore find the usual staff, including his partner in the hinge, the Bordeaux-Bègles fly-half Matthieu Jalibert (24 years old). , 29 sel.).
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. The bench is structured around six forwards and two backs, with the versatile flanker Sekou Macalou capable of also playing on the wing.
The composition of the French XV for the quarter-final:
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