French international winger Vincent Duport is set to return to action for Catalan Dragons following eight months of intense rehabilitation, after rupturing his anterior-cruciate ligament during last autumn’s European Cup.
The 23-year old, who originally signed for the club in 2007 – and played at Wembley in the Challenge Cup final that season - was given the green light to play again earlier this week.
“I feel much better,” he said on returning to training with Trent Robinson’s men. “I have started gradually. When I was able to put my boots on and step onto the pitch at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, it brought a smile to my face. There’s no more pain in the knee and it feels more stable than even before the injury. The only cautionary part is that I am still not able to bend my knee 100 per cent but according to the surgeon I’ll never be able to.“
Having spent a season at Toulouse in 2010, he was welcomed back to the Dragons for Super League XVI and cannot wait to pull on the sang et or colours again after previously made over 40 appearances for them.
“I’m not nervous, just excited. In the last few months, every game that I watched in the stands, every training session I saw from the sidelines, I jumped for joy knowing I’d soon be able to rejoin my team-mates.“
During his recuperation, Duport embarked upon what could well become a blossoming media career, commentating on Catalan games on Grand Sud FM alongside leading French rugby league figure Louis Bonnery.
“I never would have imagined that commentating on the radio was so difficult. Explaining what you see, in a clear and precise way, is not easy. You search for words, repeat yourself, you hesitate but, when you’re holding the microphone, you just have to get on with it.”
During his lay-off Duport has been constantly mentored by his coach, Trent Robinson. “One of the great things about Trent is that he communicates well with the players. He’s talked to me a lot about my role in the team. He knows my strengths and wants to know how I can evolve into his new system. That I can play in the centres, in the second row or on the wing means I can’t be sure where I’m going to play my first game back.”
When he does make his return, it will be to a team flying high on confidence and marching steadily up the Super League table, having lost only one of their last ten matches.
“The team had a bit of trouble finding itself in the first few matches,” Duport continued. “But after each game, every player got more comfortable with Trent’s game-plan. In Montpellier, against Wigan, we turned in an explosive performance. We played quickly, moved the ball freely, tackled hard and defended tight - it had all the ingredients.”