Martin Lange with AFP // Photo credits: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
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7:42 a.m., September 13, 2023
The third line of the French Blues match in the 2023 World Cup. “I am very happy to come back, I had a little doubt at the start of my rehabilitation, but I worked very hard. I gave myself the chance to come back,” declared the Stade Toulouse player (27 years old, 25 selections), Tuesday at a press conference, specifying that this injury had helped him to “grow”.
“Enormous pride”
Jelonch’s return is the most notable of the twelve changes made to the team which beat New Zealand (27-13) on Friday to open the World Cup. At the heart of a controversy after his conviction at first instance for a racist attack, second row Bastien Chalureau will be a replacement.
“Today, coming back for the World Cup, after all that, is a huge source of pride for me and I will do everything to bring my teammates to victory,” Jelonch said. “I come from a world, the countryside, where the mind takes up a lot of space, from a very young age.” Valuable in the rucks, tireless tackler, outstanding ball scratcher and tough fighter, the ex-player from Auch, where he met Antoine Dupont, who has since become his best friend, and one of the architects of the Grand Slam in 2022 , will once again make his contribution to the blue building after winning his race against time, returning to the highest level in six months.
⚡️ in this World Cup!
️ See you in Lille! #FRAvURU#XVdeFrance#UnitedForADream#RWC2023pic.twitter.com/lsiOrd1L2u— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) September 12, 2023
However, when the flanker was injured, tackling Duhan van der Merwe on February 26 to prevent the Scot from going on trial in the Six Nations Tournament, pessimism reigned regarding his participation in the 2023 World Cup. “The news is not good. He suffers from a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. You know the protocol: it’s almost six months of absence, between the operation and the rehabilitation”, explains Galthié, after the victory French (32-21).
“Thank you for your support”
The player does not waste time in lamentations. Two days later, he launched the countdown on his Instagram account: “Thank you for your support, today begins a new fight for me.” From March 24, Jean Bouilhou, the Toulouse forwards coach, said he “felt a determined player and convinced that he will succeed”. On May 16, Galthié said: “the surgeon does not understand what is happening with Anthony Jelonch”, “already ahead” of his rehabilitation program.
Based on this observation, the coach made Jelonch one of his executives, starting him nineteen times despite competition in the third row, and already appointing him captain during the tour to Australia in the summer of 2021. He keeps him in the list of 42 to prepare for the World Cup: a first victory. In the process, the player, who is aiming for mid-August as his return date, confides in the specialized bi-weekly Midi-Olympique: “Having the World Cup in mind helps me get up every morning (…) I am (optimistic), I always have been and I will be until the end.”
On August 2, the “health manager” of the XV of France, Bruno Boussagol, with whom Jelonch spent five weeks in May in Montpellier to carry out an “accelerated protocol at the rate of eight hours per day”, affirmed that the muscle tests of the third line “are stronger than before”. When his face appears on TF1 on August 21 during the announcement of the 33 for the World Cup, the surprise is therefore minimal, especially since we know the importance of the Gersois, and his good humor, in the locker room. This is his second victory.
It’s a third time to start against Uruguay, and moreover as captain, for the Blues’ second match. According to Bruno Boussagol, “Anthony showed that he was capable”. “We asked him how he felt, we built his path with him so that he was on the field as soon as possible. Now, all the lights are green, he feels good and he is available to the coaches.”