Dupont was injured in France’s pool game against Namibia a few weeks ago, where he fractured his cheekbone, but the French Rugby Federation said on Monday that their captain had been given the green light to return to training following a successful surgery.
The Springboks arrived in Paris on Monday afternoon in high spirits, looking forward to facing number 2 ranked France in the fourth quarter-final, which will kick off at 21h00 on Sunday evening.
Speaking to the media on Monday, De Klerk admitted he’s a great player but revealed they won’t be tweaking their preparations for one player.
“He’s a great player and he gives the team a lot of confidence. But it doesn’t affect us he if plays or doesn’t. We prepare to face the team, not individuals. That said, for me personally, it’s always good to face the world’s best.”
Look who’s back with the Boks – more here: https://t.co/BUrd5lJhwe 👀#Springboks #StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/s0SwFa388l
— Springboks (@Springboks) October 4, 2023
Springboks assist coach, Deon Davids, called for razor sharp focus from the defending champions who will draw on previous experiences to match the atmosphere they are anticipating.
We are playing against the World Cup hosts in what is going to be a massive atmosphere on the day.
“Last year we had a dry run when we faced them in Marseille and some of the players had a taste of playing in the World Cup knock-out stages in Japan in 2019. That said, we need to adapt well on the day and be razor sharp in our execution.
“Playing against France in this beautiful city (Paris) in a Rugby World Cup quarter-final is big, and I don’t think any team needs more motivation than that.
“They are a formidable team, they’re ranked second in the world, and they’ll have the home crowd behind them, so they’ll be a massive opponent. They are definitely the favorites going into the match. They also don’t have weaknesses at this stage.”