Antoine Dupont return to France rugby team, Digi Mart USA News: Star scrum-half Antoine Dupont was not at full capacity during his last appearance with the France XV at the Six Nations Tournament, according to a report by Media365 journalist Thomas Siniecki. Dupont had played at least one hour of every match during the 2025 Tournament, including the entire France-England game, just two months after returning from a serious injury.
The Six Nations concluded in March with a dramatic 48-46 France victory over England, secured by a last-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos at the final whistle, which gave Fabien Galthié’s team the title. Assistant coach Patrick Arlettaz, who oversees the attack, said it was difficult to say Dupont was fully in form at that time, noting he was already physically much better and in full command of his abilities.
Looking back nearly eight months later, Arlettaz said the Tournament had been somewhat rushed. He explained that people tend to assume everything is normal once Dupont pulls on the jersey, but the captain was recovering from a serious injury, had very few matches to prepare, and may have been pushed too hard.
He said Dupont is now fully fit and at 100 percent physically.
Arlettaz added that Dupont’s performance during the Tournament was not poor, since his technical ability is above any other player and allowed him to compensate. He said that now both physical and technical levels are restored, so there is nothing to complain about.
The report notes this bodes well for the upcoming match against Fiji on Saturday in Lyon.
Dupont had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during the previous Tournament in March 2025 in Ireland, a 42-27 loss, and only returned to competition at the end of November with Toulouse before playing the full 2026 Tournament.
