France captain Dupont gets surgeon's green light to resume full training, could face Springboks

France captain Antoine Dupont moved a significant step closer to playing in this weekend's Rugby World Cup quarter-final after being cleared on Monday to resume full training by the surgeon who operated on his fractured cheekbone.

READ | Springboks welcome prospect of dangerous Dupont for crunch World Cup QF: 'He's a wonderful player'

The 26-year-old scrumhalf suffered the injury in a brutal tackle against Namibia and was operated on on 22 September before rejoining the squad for light training a week later.

"Following his planned visit to the surgeon who had operated on him, Antoine Dupont received authorisation to resume rugby training from today," the French rugby federation announced.

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Since rejoining the squad, Dupont moved quickly from bike and pool work to running drills, and Monday's green light means the combative scrumhalf will be back in the thick of full contact.

That gives the Toulouse halfback a week of training at just the right time.

France topped Pool A and will take on World Cup champions South Africa at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Maxime Lucu deputised at No 9 for Dupont in their final pool game against Italy, with Baptiste Couilloud coming off the bench in the 60-7 victory.

Dupont's importance to Les Bleus is highlighted by his record as captain as he is yet to lose on home soil as skipper, a run dating back to 14 Tests.

He took over the role from flanker Charles Ollivon in November 2021 and led the side to the 2022 Six Nations Grand Slam as well as convincing Test wins over New Zealand and the Springboks.

His return is also a positive for tournament organisers with Dupont being used as a poster boy for the competition,