In Aix-en-Provence
The health manager of the XV of France, Bruno Boussagol, gave an update this Tuesday on the medical condition of the Blues. If the news concerning Antoine Dupont is reassuring, there is however concern concerning Julien Marchand. The hooker, who suffered a hamstring injury in the opening match on September 8, was expected to return to training last week. A return that did not go as planned.
“At the end of last week, Julien was in a phase of ramping up. We took advantage of the two days off (Friday and Saturday, Editor’s note) to increase the intensity and introduce rugby. A goal not achieved. We therefore preferred not to take any risks and postpone its recovery,” revealed Bruno Boussagol.
“We are in the fourth week since his injury. And the hamstring is a difficult injury to treat. Julien has difficulty sequencing tasks. There is a loss in quality. His high hamstring injuries may recur. We want to avoid this situation.”
The return of the hooker was therefore postponed. “The lead time was four to six weeks. We’re only in the fourth. It was a risk to force training, so we took him out of the group. If Julien passes this level at the start of next week, we can imagine that he will be competitive for the following match. Otherwise, we will move forward cautiously…”
The health manager, however, gave reassuring news of two other injured people. “Paul Boudehent has successfully passed all concussion protocols. He is gradually returning to training.”
As for pillar Dorian Aldegheri, spared on Sunday and Monday, it’s nothing serious. “He felt discomfort in his quadriceps during training on Sunday. We pay close attention to these little signs. So we preferred to release it. He had a medical scan which showed that everything was normal. Dorian will therefore resume training this Wednesday and he is applying for the match against Italy on Friday.