France medical director Bruno Boussagol said although captain Antoine Dupont was cleared to return to full training, the decision on his availability for this weekend’s World Cup quarterfinal against the Springboks will be a joint decision.
“Antoine had a visit with the surgeon this morning (Monday). You’ve already got the information that he was back to training. He got the green light. He’s going to be back to rugby training this afternoon.”
“We will keep on working with him to make sure that he’s in the best position before the head coach makes his decisions (on the team selection). He had some contact with tackle pads with the fitness staff. Now he’s going to be back to normal training.”
On whether a helmet would be required for Dupont, Boussagol said: “The option of wearing a helmet was indeed discussed. We’re working on it. He has received and has tested this kind of protection equipment. There are two key points: his vision and hearing shouldn't be affected. These two parameters need to be tested in real conditions.”
