William Fotheringham talks to a player who is back to top formafter overcoming severe depression, stress and a chain of tragic events

At the start of this World Cup the France wing Christophe Dominici and the reserve hooker Yannick Bru were given a lift into Townsville, home of the Dairy Farmers Stadium, by two English journalists. On exiting the car Dominici's farewell words, muttered in French and only half in jest, were: "See you in the semi-final and we will kick your arse."

Now that seems less of a throwaway comment.

Several weeks on and with that semi-final looming, Dominici is convinced that something is not right with the old enemy. "They were really strong in the summer when they beat the All Blacks and Australia, but that is not the England of this World Cup.

"They have declined and it's hard to say why. Did they peak in fitness too early? Has everyone else gone up a level? One thing is clear, they are not the same. I gather they said last Sunday that we would not be a problem for them. Let's see if they say the same this Sunday."

In broken play against Ireland Dominici made some devastating runs and the little Stade Francais wing may end up playing a similar role to that which he played in France's last World Cup semi-final, the epic win against the All-Blacks in 1999. That afternoon at Twickenham his gather from Fabien Galthie's chip ahead let him in for a try as France slashed the Kiwis' seemingly impregnable lead before winning 43-31.

"He was the detonator, the decisive factor in that match," says Jo Maso, the France manager then as now. "He has a fantastic sidestep and one on one he can beat any adversary. He is the Jason Robinson of France."

Dominici, for his part, is relishing meeting his England equivalent: "He can destabilise any defence with a single stroke of genius. We are ready for him but to stop him you need to throw him under a lorry."

The mop-haired speedster, now 31, was a controversial late inclusion in France's final 30 players for this tournament but the path he has trodden to Sunday's meeting with England is a surprising one, even by the standards of a France back line forged largely by adversity.

At scrumhalf is the captain Galthie, in and out of the side from 1991 to 1999, at centre Tony Marsh, who has beaten testicular cancer, on the left wing Aurelien Rougerie, who could barely speak a year ago due to a serious larynx injury, and on the right Dominici, who three years ago was lying in a Paris hospital in an induced coma in order to overcome severe depression and nervous exhaustion.

Dominici went into the coma on October 31st 2000, a year to the day after he had starred in the greatest World Cup game ever, and he stayed asleep for 15 days. "I couldn't sleep any more. I had no appetite for life. I'd had a lot of problems with my ex-wife. When you are hungry, you want to devour life, but I'd lost that desire. I had been overtaken by emotion and stress, but I didn't want to take medicine so that was the only solution."

His emotional difficulties were sparked in part by burn-out following France's near-miss in the World Cup. "It was a euphoric period and I didn't know how to say no; I never had a break."

By autumn 2000 he was suffering from over-training, something he blames on professional rugby. "You don't play for yourself, you play for a club. It's a business and it's your work unless you get ill; sport is not the priority like it should be."

What drove Dominici to breaking point was a chain of tragic events which began with the death of his sister Pascale when he was a teenager. Shortly after the 1999 World Cup his best friend Robert Farguette died in what was rumoured to be an underworld assassination. Another friend, his psychologist Pierre Cesano, also died of an illness that summer and not long afterwards his girlfriend of 12 years walked out on him, prompting the descent into depression.

"When I woke up, I felt good physically, all my physical potential had returned, but psychologically it was hard to come back," he said.

There was no major turning point, just little "flashes". "In that situation you hang on to little things, little turning points, like the day when you feel you are getting speed back."

He was not helped by injuries to his shoulder and ankle, nor by a spell between November 2001 and June 2003 when the France coach Bernard Laporte - an old friend - did not seem to want him in his side. When he was named in the squad of 30 for this World Cup his troubles did not end as there were claims that he was included solely because of his friendship with his former trainer at Stade Francais.

Now he is simply glad to be in Australia. "You get older, you mature. It's like a child learning not to touch hot things; you learn not to get burned. I appreciate things, how lucky I am to be here. You need to say that every day, you need to say that here when you get tired from training or miss your family."

Dominici is no keener to look back at that great day in 1999 than he is to be drawn over France's chances of winning this World Cup.

"I don't like looking at myself. What happened at Twickenham is four years old and I'm not a nostalgic person. Now I've moved on. And if things are written in the stars, let this year be better than 1999."