France holds its breath after Antoine Dupont’s injury sustained in the 96-0 thrashing of Namibia with their Rugby World Cup hopes set to take a considerable blow.
Dupont went off with a potential serious facial injury in the Marseille clash and was taken to hospital with Fabien Galthie’s decision to keep his captain and star scrum half on the field, despite a 54-point half-time lead, brought into question.
Now the French Rugby Federation has confirmed that Dupont suffered a facial fracture, but said in a statement that he will remain with the squad while specialists determine the exact length of the World Cup star’s unavailability.
Follow all the latest updates on Dupont’s condition and the potential ramifications for South Africa, Ireland and even Scotland depending on the quarter-final matches. Plus get all the latest Rugby World Cup odds and tips here.
Namibia captain Johan Deysel has apologised to Antoine Dupont following a head-on-head collision that has left the France star’s Rugby World Cup campaign in doubt.
Dupont suffered a facial fracture during France’s record 96-0 win against Namibia in Marseille.
Deysel’s yellow card for the collision, with France leading 54-0, was upgraded to red following a review by the television match official.
The French Rugby Federation confirmed the extent of Dupont’s injury on Friday, but said it was uncertain how long the scrum-half will be unavailable for.
Deysel said: “I would like to extend my best wishes to Antoine Dupont. Clearly, I meant no harm.
“Everything happened very quickly and I couldn’t get my head out of the way quick enough, resulting in a head clash. I know the rules and immediately knew that I was at fault.
“I spoke with Fabien Galthie (France head coach) immediately after the match and sent my best wishes and apologies to Antoine, both personally and via the France team doctor.
“He is a great player and person, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
“A World Cup is a long journey. The players prepared for a lot of injuries. That’s inherent in our sport. In our minds, Antoine hasn’t finished the competition yet. We’re hoping for good news in the next three days. He’s still in hospital, but he’ll be discharged later today to recuperate and see the specialist.”
On whether Maxime Lucu will inevitably replace Antoine Dupont, given his experience:
“We have three days to recover before looking ahead to the Italy match in a fortnight’s time. We’re going to do what we always do. We’ll get together to decide on the best team based on the strategy we’ve chosen for this match. Both Baptiste [Couilloud] and Maxime will be able to start. We’ll think about it after looking at our opponents.”
On whether it’s worth taking the risk of playing Antoine Dupont given the exceptional nature of the event:
“Yes, it’s a very important competition, almost the sporting event of a lifetime for some. It’s a World Cup on home soil with a team that can claim overall victory. This is obviously a factor that should weigh heavily when the decision is made. But the final choice will depend on the surgeon and Antoine. The specialist knows who Antoine Dupont is and he’s aware of what he’s playing in.”
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