French skipper goes off clutching his face
It was fringing on the worst-case scenario. With France picking as close as possible to their full-strength team to face Namibia, a win was pretty much guaranteed – but avoiding an Antoine Dupont injury was a must. Alas…
The hosts racked up tries in a 96-0 win in Marseilles, registering their highest-ever Rugby World Cup points total. But on minute 51, Namibia captain Johan Deysel was shown a card that was eventually upgraded to a red, following a head-on-head shot that saw France captain Dupont sent for a head injury assessment while clutching his face.
We will wait to see what the result of the collision is. Post-match, France boss Fabien Galthié told broadcaster France 2: “We have a suspected cracked or fractured jaw. We will wait for scans before moving forward.” Today, that has been revised to a potential orbital fracture (damage around the eye socket).
Ironically Dupont is the face of this tournament, and any damage to him will be felt nationally.
Dupont off at half-time please (for the sake of the tournament) #FRAvNAM
— Ben Coles (@bencoles_) September 21, 2023
The French management perhaps felt compelled to pick their strongest possible side following a disappointing second-round match against Uruguay, in which France were given a huge scare and failed to get a try bonus. But in going all-in on this match, they have put their talisman in harm’s way.
Close to the finish of the match, French media reported that the Dupont injury saw him taken to hospital for a scan. We are yet to find out any prognosis.
We saw 14 unanswered French tries in Marseilles, with the host side in ruthless mood from the get-go. Damian Penaud helped himself to a hat-trick, while returning centre Jonathan Danty had two, as did Charles Ollivon and 20-year-old sensation Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
However, 14 tries and a record haul in this famous tournament are scant salve, if the iconic captain is ruled out. We await the results of that scan. All of France does.
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