Antoine Dupont: The France captain will return to Toulouse after eight months of absence

France captain Antoine Dupont will return from a serious knee injury in Toulouse’s Top 14 match against Racing 92 on Saturday (20:00 GMT).

Scrum-half Dupont, 29, has been out of action since March after tearing the cruciate ligaments in his knee during France’s Six Nations win over Ireland in Dublin in March.

The 2021 World Rugby Player of the Year has been named on the bench as top 14 leaders Toulouse host Racing at Stade Ernest Wallon.

“He recovered immediately,” Toulouse assistant coach Jean Boilho told reporters on Friday.

“He’s a talented player, at the highest level. He also has a kind of authority over our game plan. I think he’ll get back to his best quickly.”

Dupont won two Six Nations titles with France and helped the sevens team win Olympic gold at last year’s Paris Games.

With Toulouse, he has won five Top 14 titles and two Champions Cups, while recently signing a contract extension until 2031.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Puelho added when asked about DuPont’s return.

“I can’t really tell you what will happen in the match or in future matches, I can only talk about what I saw in training.

“I have not seen a drop in quality compared to last year. We are very reassured to see it in this regard.”