Dupont's Comeback: French Superstar Set for All Blacks Showdown in Paris

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Dupont, 27, who has played 52 Tests and was World Rugby's Player of the Year in 2021, stepped away from the 15-man game and missed the last Six Nations while joining France's Sevens side that triumphed at the Paris Olympic Games, allowing him to add a gold medal to his trophy cabinet.

Dupont's last Test match was France's quarterfinal exit from last year's Rugby World Cup when beaten 28-29 by South Africa.

It has yet to be announced whether Dupont will resume the captaincy of the side. Gregory Aldritt led the side in Dupont's absence.

However, Dupont's inside-back partner, first five-eighths Romain Ntamack, will not be playing alongside him, having picked up a calf muscle injury while playing for their Toulouse club.

In Ntamack's absence, Mathieu Jalibert, 25, with 33 Tests, and who played at first five-eighths during Ntamack's non-availability for the Rugby World Cup, and Leo Berdeu, 26, have also been named. Berdeu has yet to play Test rugby.

Another option in the role is Thomas Ramos, 29, who played in the Six Nations against England and Wales after Jalibert was injured.

Missing from the squad is hooker Julien Marchand. His Toulouse clubmate Peato Mauvaka has been named ahead of him.

Eight uncapped players have been named in the 42-man squad, including Tongan prop Tevita Tatafu, 22, who plays for Bayonne and joined the club as a 17-year-old and qualifies for selection on residency grounds.

France starts its November campaign against Japan on November 9.

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