Gaël Dréan, a 25-year-old winger for RCT, has resumed team training three months after undergoing a major heart operation in June. However, he is still not allowed to make contact until his chest has fully healed. A scan will determine whether he can overcome this final barrier. His goal remains to return to play before the end of 2026. Dréan stated that he had never imagined he would die after the operation, which was performed in Paris on June 1st and lasted seven hours. The operation was necessitated by a "clear degradation" of his aortic bicuspid, a malformation he had known about since he was 18 years old. Dréan lost ten kilograms during his recovery and spent three weeks in a rehabilitation center in Kerpape. Upon waking from the operation, his heart was beating at 130 beats per minute at rest. During his first run, three minutes at 8 km/h sent his heart rate to 185 beats per minute. He has since regained the ten kilograms he had lost and his resting heart rate is now around 65 beats per minute. He previously struggled with even simple exercises, such as three squats. Dréan had scored eight tries in the 2025-2026 Champions Cup, the second highest total in the competition. He had also earned his first selection with the French team against Italy in February, scoring a try. His return to the highest level requires not only medical fitness but also regaining the physical capabilities that made him a standout player. The 2027 World Cup, which will begin in Australia on October 1st, adds another dimension to his recovery. Dréan has only one selection with the French team so far and no guaranteed position, but he has over a year to return to play, regain his best level, and get back into the international conversation. RCT has expressed confidence in his return, extending his contract until 2029 on August 7. Laurent Emmanuelli assured Dréan that the club would not change the agreement despite his operation. Dréan has stated that he does not want to return at 90% fitness and prefers to delay his return by one or two weeks if necessary. His next milestone is the scan, after which he will be able to return to contact training. With a little more than a year until the World Cup, his race against time has changed in nature, finally resembling a rugby player's race.