France captain Antoine Dupont has been given the green light to return to action after suffering a fractured cheekbone in his side's 96-0 Rugby World Cup win over Namibia.
The Toulouse scrum-half was the victim of a nasty head-on-head challenge from Johan Deysel six minutes into the second half of that game on September 21, for which the Namibia man has been given a five-game ban.
Dupont's injury led to fears that the 2021 World Player of the Year's World Cup adventure was over, but following surgery, he has been given the thumbs-up to return to the ranks.
"Antoine has been cleared to resume progressive physical activity. This activity will take place under the supervision of the French national team's medical staff," a statement from the French Rugby Federation read.
It remains to be seen if Dupont will be cleared to start in France's final Pool A game, which takes place on October 6 against Italy at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon.
The hosts sit at the top of the section with three wins from three against Namibia, Uruguay and New Zealand, and they will qualify for the quarter-finals in first place by overcoming Italy next weekend.
Ben Knapton
