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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport and agencies

Rugby World Cup 2023: what to look out for this weekend

Maxime Lucu, Keita Inagaki, Iain Henderson.
France’s Maxime Lucu, Keita Inagaki of Japan, and Ireland’s maths whizz Iain Henderson. Composite: Getty Images, Shutterstock

Pressure on Lucu for France

Much has been made of the fact Antoine Dupont could be back next week if given the all clear by the surgeon on Monday to resume contact training days after having surgery on a fractured cheekbone. Less attention has been paid to the fact that for that to be at all relevant, France still need to qualify and the easiest way to ensure that is to beat Italy on Friday evening. They can still go through if they lose, but the hosts will not want to be relying on bonus points.

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