France rugby captain Antoine Dupont said his rehabilitation from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament is progressing to plan and that he hopes to resume collective training in October. The 29-year-old scrum-half, injured against Ireland on 8 March, has begun running drills and is focusing on muscle-strengthening work after four months of recovery. Dupont, speaking while in Osaka for the 2025 World Expo, cautioned that he is unlikely to be match-fit for France’s November Tests and does not intend to hurry his comeback. “It would not be very smart to rush,” he said, adding that a return to competition at the end of the year is a realistic target if his knee responds well. Looking beyond his immediate recovery, Dupont left the door open to defending France’s rugby-sevens title at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. He stressed, however, that the principal objective for his generation remains the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, after which he will reassess his physical condition and availability for the Games.