Three weeks after sustaining a fractured cheekbone, France skipper Antoine Dupont will lead his side out at the Stade de France for the quarter-final against the defending champions South Africa.
The 26-year-old returned to training on Monday and the scrum-half's inclusion at the expense of Maxime Lucu was the only change to the team that started last week's victory over Italy in Lyon.
"I feel good," Dupont said after France head coach Fabien Galthié announced the team for Sunday night's clash.
"My recovery went well. I'm in full capacity of my means be that physical or mental to be ready for this match."
Dupont was injured when the head of the Namibia skipper Johan Deysel crashed into his face early in the second-half of the Group A game in Marseille on 21 September.
Deysel was sent off and eventually banned for five games.
Recovery
As Dupont recovered from surgery, Galthié came under fire for persisting with such a key player when the team was leading 54-0.
Galthié explained that Dupont had been earmarked for substitution a little later in the second-half.
"A World Cup is long," added Dupont. "I was lucky the injury happened early on. It was important for me to tick all the boxes before coming back."
South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber opted to field Cobus Reinach and Manie Libbok at scrum-half and fly-half respectively in the game.
The 2019 World Cup winning duo of Faf de Klerk and Handre Pollard will start on the bench.
"The French have got a very interesting kicking game that they use and we feel using Reinach and Libbok will give us the best opportunity," Nienaber added.
England or Fiji, who play on Sunday afternoon at the Vélodrome in Marseille, await the victor.
Favourite
The first of the four quarter-finals will pit Wales against Argentina.
Wales boss Warren Gatland announced six changes to the team that started the 43-19 defeat of Georgia on 7 October to ensure Wales finished the pool phase unbeaten with 19 points from a maximum 20.
Jac Morgan returns and will skipper the side in Marseille. Dan Biggar and Liam Williams have both shaken off injuries for starting spots at fly-half and full-back respectively.
Aaron Wainwright will replace the injured Taulupe Faletau in the forward line.
Argentina coach Michael Cheika, who made two changes to the team that beat Japan 39-27 in their final game in Group D, conceded that Wales would start as favourites.
"That's pretty clearly obvious," said Cheika who was at the helm of Australia when they reached the 2015 final.
"Everyone's made that point to us bar our Argentine supporters.
"We know that we're going to have to do something different, something special around the game so that we can be competitive with them, but I'm a huge believer in the team."
Challenge
The winner will play whoever succeeds at the Stade de France on Saturday night when Ireland take on New Zealand.
Ireland have been the world's top ranked team since coming from behind to win a three-Test series in New Zealand in July 2022. They have racked up 15 more consecutive victories.
"We know the size of the challenge," said New Zealand head coach Ian Foster. "Ireland deserve the credit they get but rugby is about who is best on the day.
"Ireland have got the upper hand a few time over us so naturally you respect them. It hurts but you have got to take one's hat off to the Irish for the run of wins and form.
"But we start the match at 0-0 and it should be a great game."
