Two matches. That is all Jonathan Danty has played in a year, and both came in the same week of September 2025.
On 6 September 2025 at Chaban-Delmas, then on the 13th at Deflandre against Clermont: two starts at centre, 142 minutes in total, and his right knee giving way in the second. Rupture of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, a double ligament reconstruction, and a surgeon warning from the outset of at least twelve months out.
The drop-off, season by season
The contrast with previous years is stark. Danty had been averaging more than 1,100 minutes a season since 2021, peaking at over 1,700.
| Season | Appearances | Starts | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-2026 | 2 | 2 | 142 |
| 2024-2025 | 19 | 14 | 1,115 |
| 2023-2024 | 26 | 21 | 1,689 |
| 2022-2023 | 26 | 24 | 1,765 |
| 2021-2022 | 26 | 19 | 1,628 |
All competitions, club and country combined.
What he says about the pain
The player told L’Équipe that his recovery has been far harder than the first cruciate rupture he suffered in the same knee at 17. “This time, the trickiest part is that I ruptured both cruciate ligaments, so there was extreme instability. When the surgeon had done the job, he warned me and said ‘this could be very painful’. And it was. I was really in pain for almost five months.”
He also chose to get mental support, something he would not have done when he was younger. “Today, my best friend is my physio. I also surrounded myself with people I could communicate with, talk to. That freed me from a lot of fears, of my career ending early.”
The Bronco as a milestone
The step he took last Friday sends a signal. “I started running again a few months ago and on Friday I finished with a fitness test, a Bronco, so I really suffered. It feels good to get a bit closer to the pitch again. There’s work to do but I’m doing my best, I’m working so I have no regrets if it potentially doesn’t work out.”
He refuses to promise anything. “I also know that potentially this could be the end. Anything can happen.” He is 33, turning 34 on 7 October, and his La Rochelle contract runs until June 2027. That date had until now been his exit point; it no longer quite is.
The midfield managed without him
La Rochelle did not wait. Levani Botia did most of the work with 25 appearances and 1,255 minutes at centre last season, aged 36. Adrien Seguret followed with 604 minutes, and 21-year-old Simeli Daunivucu picked up 293. The position held up.
Still, Danty has not worn the France jersey since 25 February 2024 and a France v Italy match that ended in a 13-13 draw. His comeback, if it happens, will first be a La Rochelle story. Stade Rochelais host Stade Toulousain on Sunday 6 September at 9.05pm in Round 1.
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