Dupont Returns to France XVs Rugby Squad After Olympic Gold
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Antoine Dupont, the star scrum-half who helped France win Olympic gold in rugby sevens, has returned to the France XVs squad. He has been in exceptional form for his club, Toulouse, since rejoining the 15-player format.
The mercurial playmaker, 27, who has played 52 Tests and was World Rugby's Player of the Year in 2021, switched his attention from the traditional 15s format to rugby sevens in March to chase his once-in-a-lifetime chance to win an Olympic gold medal on home soil.
National team coach Galthié also selected eight uncapped players on Wednesday in his group of 42. France will take on Japan, New Zealand and Argentina next month
Notable absentees include injured Toulouse hooker Julien Marchand and Romain Ntamack, who is recovering from a torn calf muscle. Prop Cyril Baille and center Nicolas Depoortere are also unavailable because of injuries.
The squad also includes eleven players from Toulouse, including Josh Brennan. Eight uncapped players have been selected, four from Bordeaux Begles.
Aged 22, Joshua Brennan previously played for the U20 France team and captained all the youth selections.
France star Antoine Dupont will return to Test rugby and be available to play the All Blacks in Paris on November 16.
Dupont's last Test match was France's quarterfinal exit from last year's Rugby World Cup when beaten 28-29 by South Africa.
It has yet to be announced whether Dupont will resume the captaincy of the side. Gregory Aldritt led the side in Dupont's absence.
However, Dupont's inside-back partner, first five-eighths Romain Ntamack, will not be playing alongside him, having picked up a calf muscle injury while playing for their Toulouse club.
In Ntamack's absence, Mathieu Jalibert, 25, with 33 Tests, and who played at first five-eighths during the Rugby World Cup, and Leo Berdeu, 26, have also been named. Berdeu has yet to play Test rugby.
Another option is Thomas Ramos, 29, who played in the Six Nations against England and Wales after Jalibert was injured.
Tongan prop Tevita Tatafu, 22, who plays for Bayonne and joined the club as a 17-year-old and qualifies for selection on residency grounds.
France starts its November campaign against Japan on November 9
