The French Rugby Federation announced the return of Antoine Dupont to the group, with “progressive physical activity”. But will he have to wear a mask when he returns to the field?
[Updated September 30, 2023 at 2:50 p.m.] Good news for the France team: Antoine Dupont is back in the group, in Aix-en-Provence as of this Saturday. This was announced by the French Rugby Federation in a press release relayed by RMC Sport. However, the captain of the XV of France was authorized to resume “directed progressive physical activity” with “control by the medical staff of the XV of France”.
With this return, other questions also arise: when will he be able to return to the field? And will he play with a mask to protect his fractured jaw against Namibia on September 21. If the forwards coach of the XV of France, William Servat, wanted to be reassuring at a press conference, indicating that he had “no doubt about Dupont’s ability to play the quarter-final”, he The question of a return against Italy was nevertheless raised, for the last group match, on Friday October 6. Thursday, the health manager of the French team, Bruno Boussagol, said he was “not necessarily in favor” of Antoine Dupont’s return against the Transalpines.
Operated on a maxillo-zygomatic fracture, the Blues scrum-half could therefore play with a mask to protect the weakened area. For Bruno Boussagol, “the question does not arise today (Thursday). It is not the right timing. We have not yet discussed the subject with Antoine”. And World Rugby leaders said: “There have been no direct discussions with the French team about a mask for Antoine Dupont.”
According to information from Midi Olympique, the idea of ??playing with a mask is under study and Antoine Dupont will meet a specialist at the end of the week. But what do the World Rugby regulations say on this subject? According to article 12, paragraph 4 of the regulations of the international federation, any rigid protection is prohibited. “No player shall wear equipment of which any part has a thickness greater than 5mm.” This clearly means that if Antoine Dupont wants a mask, he will need something tailor-made and extremely thin. In the rest of the regulations, World Rugby provides details, leaving reason for hope. “If the total thickness consists of padding material covered with fabric, the maximum measured thickness of 5mm must include the combination of uncompressed padding and fabric but this must have a maximum measured thickness of 1mm on each side padding”.
