Six and a half months after his serious knee injury, the Toulouse third-line will make his big comeback with the XV of France, Thursday evening against Uruguay in Lille. An early return since the unavailability in the event of a total rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the late knee is usually eight to nine months.
Asked Monday about the subject, the health manager of the XV of France, Bruno Boussagol, wanted to be reassuring. “We did everything we could to make him competitive for this World Cup. Anthony followed an accelerated rehabilitation. First 8 hours a day for almost two months. Then a lot of strengthening work. There has been interest in other pivotal sports, notably skiing, where athletes must develop large muscle masses. He went through all of these steps. He continues to have care and close follow-up. But, today, he has higher demands on physical preparation than the other players have done this summer.
The Toulouse player will therefore return to the field this Thursday. “We have been building this journey with him for months and, today, all the lights are green for Antony. He is still being followed. Concerning his return, zero risk does not exist, admits Bruno Boussagol. There may be risks at seven months, nine months and even beyond. What we have validated are the physiological, physical and mental performances. It’s a joint decision with his surgeon and the player. The question he was asked was how he feels and is he ready to come back.” The response was obviously positive.