The hooker of the French rugby team Julien Marchand, victim of a muscle injury to his hamstrings during the opening match of the 2023 World Cup against the All Blacks, “will not make his return” in the quarterfinals, announced Monday the health manager of the Blues, Bruno Boussagol.
Marchand (Toulouse, 28 years old, 32 caps), one of the executives of the Blues, only played for twelve minutes during the World Cup, at the Stade de France during the inaugural victory against New Zealand (27-13 ) on September 8.
The “step up” for the semi-final
“We had determined a period of unavailability between four and six weeks but, unfortunately, his return will not take place this week, it is not possible,” affirmed Bruno Boussagol during a video conference, before add that the objective was to “step up” for the semi-final “if we qualify”. “If he stayed with us, it’s because he has a real chance of coming back next week,” insisted the trained physiotherapist.
Marchand was replaced against New Zealand by his teammate in Toulouse, Peato Mauvaka, also starting against Namibia (96-0) and Italy (60-7), and by Rochelais Pierre Bourgarit, who started against Uruguay (27-12).
The French in second place in Group B behind Ireland.