Paris (AFP)
France's XV scrum half Antoine Dupont, injured in the back at the end of the World Cup, will hold with Toulouse for the first time this season Saturday against Connacht in the European Cup, the club announced on Friday.
The N.1 in the selection position (23 years, 20 selections), which has taken two months to recover from his injury contracted in the group stage of the World Cup, will finally start with his club after entering the course of play 20 minutes against Toulon (13-13) then 30 at the Stade Français (defeat 30-18).
As a result, Sébastien Bézy, who has started all matches since the start of the season except for one (Pierre Pagès held against Bayonne), will only be on the bench for the second time.
Another notable replacement: the opener or center Romain Ntamack, who was a regular at the Blues during the World Cup and who can lose points there in the opening race for the Six Nations Tournament: his main competitor, the Bordelais Matthieu Jalibert, holds a European Challenge against Edinburgh.
The wingers or rear Yoann Huget and Maxime Médard, absent brand from the list of 42 Blues, are not in the starting XV either: the first is a replacement, undergoing the promotion of Arthur Bonneval, and the second is out of the group . Thomas Ramos and Cheslin Kolbe complete the rear triangle.
Connacht - Toulouse, Saturday 4:15 p.m. in Galway
The starting XV
Connacht: O'Halloran, Adeolokun, Aki, Robb, M. Healy - (o) Carty, (m) Kerins - Fainga'a, Butler (cap.), Boyle - Thornbury, Dillane - Bealham, McCartney, McAllister
Toulouse: Ramos - A. Bonneval, Guitoune, Ahki, Kolbe - (o) Z. Holmes, (m) A. Dupont - Kaino (cap.), S. Tolofua, Elstadt - Tekori, Verhaeghe - Faumuina, J. Marchand, Castets
replacements
Connacht: Heffernan, Buckley, Robertson-McCoy, Maksymiw, McKeon, C. Blade, Horwitz, Porch
Toulouse: Mauvaka, Neti, Aldegheri, Ro. Arnold, Placines, S. Bézy, Ntamack, Huget
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
© 2020 AFP