France’s Rugby World Cup journey was marred by concern as their captain, Antoine Dupont, suffered a suspected jaw fracture during a commanding 96-0 victory over Namibia on Thursday.
Head coach Fabien Galthie revealed, “There is a suspicion of a crack or fracture of the maxillary bone,” and added, “He currently is in the hospital, he’s being tested, I can’t tell you more than that. I’m staying connected and will tell you more if I hear from him. I’m writing to him now – live.”
Despite the resounding victory, the injury to Dupont, a pivotal figure in the French squad, cast a shadow over the team’s performance. The 26-year-old scrumhalf sustained the injury in the 46th minute during a head-to-head collision with Johan Deysel, which resulted in Deysel receiving a red card after initially being shown a yellow card.
Dupont was seen with an iced cheekbone as he left the field while holding his jaw. He subsequently left the Stade de Marseille for further medical assessments.
France had already been without their top flyhalf, Romain Ntamack, who suffered a knee injury in a warm-up test the previous month, further compounding their injury concerns.
Flanker Charles Ollivon acknowledged the incident, stating, “It was late and to the head, so it was quite clear. These things happen unfortunately, but we stayed concentrated and went forward straight away. You don’t have time to ponder things.”
Looking ahead, France is set to face Italy in Pool A on October 6. Despite leading 54-0 at halftime, Galthie defended his choice to keep Dupont on the pitch, explaining, “You can’t change 15 players at halftime. The role of this game was to give people game time.”
Dupont and several other regular starters had been rested for France’s second game, which they won 27-12 against Uruguay. They returned to their “premium” team for the game against Namibia and achieved a resounding victory, scoring 14 tries.
Winger Damian Penaud made a significant impact, scoring three tries and becoming the first French player to achieve a try in six consecutive tests. Coach Galthie praised Penaud, stating, “He has proven his potential today. This evening was a special game.”
France did not underestimate their opponents, despite Namibia being perceived as a weaker side. Ollivon emphasized their commitment, saying, “When we were 54-0 up, staying serious and committed is what brought us this record score.”
