Rugby

France scrumhalf Dupont tests positive for Covid-19

All the players in the 31-man squad were tested and so far 11 had tested negative

Antoine Dupont has tested positive for Covid-19. Photograph: Inpho

Fri Feb 19 2021 - 17:25

French scrumhalf Antoine Dupont looks set to miss their next Six Nations game against Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

All the players in the 31-man squad had been tested and so far 11 had been negative, with Dupont the only one to return a positive test, the French federation (FFR) said in a statement. The other results were not yet known.

France play Scotland at the Stade de France on February 28th. The FFR said that Dupont did not show any symptoms but he would be "isolated, in accordance with the sanitary protocol".

French health minister Olivier Veran announced on Thursday that anyone testing positive for Covid-19 would need to isolate for 10 days, instead of seven previously, as France looks to contain the emergence of a variant that first appeared in Britain.

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The FFR had ordered further tests on the squad after saying on Tuesday that head coach Fabien Galthie, forwards coach William Servat and another staff members had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

All the players were negative on Tuesday but there were concerns about Dupont, who spent time in close contact with Galthie at an awards ceremony broadcast online on Monday, with neither of them wearing a mask.

Dupont, 24, was named player of the championship after last year's Six Nations, when France finished in second place.

Les Bleus lead the standings after two wins from two games, with Dupont setting up four tries in the opening match against Italy. They have not won the Six Nations since 2010, the year of their last Grand Slam.

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