Former captain Antoine Dupont back with France for autumn rugby tests
France's Antoine Dupont, left, challenges for the ball during the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match between France and South Africa at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Credit: AP/Themba Hadebe
PARIS — Fresh from winning the Olympic rugby sevens title this summer on home soil, France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont has been named in Fabien Galthié’s squad for the autumn tests.
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.
Dupont has not played for the France XV since the World Cup quarterfinal loss to South Africa in October last year. The mercurial playmaker skipped the Six Nations and 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.
It's unclear whether former captain Dupont will regain the armband.
Notable absentees include injured Toulouse hooker Julien Marchand and Romain Ntamack, who is recovering from a torn calf muscle. Both men could, however, join the team at a later stage. Prop Cyril Baille and center Nicolas Depoortere are also unavailable because of injuries.
Among the eight uncapped players — some have already taken part in training sessions under Galthié — is Toulouse lock Joshua Brennan, the son of Ireland international Trevor Brennan.
Aged 22, Joshua Brennan previously played for the U20 France team and captained all the youth selections.
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