The 23-year-old collapsed in the 73rd minute after a spectacular aerial collision with Bayonne full-back Cheikh Tiberghien (an offence punished with a yellow card and a penalty try), forcing medical staff to work on him at length before he was taken off on a stretcher. His marked face and the apparent seriousness of the scene had chilled the Jean Dauger crowd and his team-mates alike. The player nevertheless left the pitch with a thumb raised, a sign that he had not lost consciousness.

Reassuring news confirmed by RCT on Monday, who specified that Dréan’s condition had improved during the evening and that he would rejoin the squad as normal in the coming days. Able to speak and converse with those close to him, he shows no serious after-effects according to the first examinations, as Pierre Mignoni reported in the press conference following Toulon’s defeat (35-32).

In line with the regulations in force, the wing nevertheless remains subject to an immediate stand-down from competition and will miss at least the home game against Pau next weekend. In plain terms, the RCT player will have to observe a 12-day observation period before any return to contact, in other words a standard concussion protocol. The length of his absence will then depend on how his condition develops and on the medical protocol.