Antoine Dupont took a hit that had the rugby world holding its breath during the Rugby World Cup clash. The French captain, just 26 years old, found himself in a tight spot after a brutal head-to-head tackle by Johan Deysel during their epic 96-0 victory against Namibia.
Dupont, who had already dazzled with a try earlier in the game, exited the field in the 46th minute, clutching his right cheekbone. It was a painful sight for fans and teammates alike.
Coach Fabien Galthie revealed, “There’s a suspicion of a crack or fracture in his jaw. He’s gone for tests. We’ll have to wait for the results before making any decisions. For now, we must celebrate this remarkable win and the incredible performance of our players.”
Team manager Raphael Ibanez expressed sympathy, saying, “We feel for Antoine. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of head-to-head collisions.”
Losing Dupont would be a massive setback for France’s quest to claim their first-ever World Cup. He was named the World Player of the Year in 2021 and dominated the Six Nations tournament in 2022 and 2023.
After a hard-fought victory over New Zealand in the tournament’s opener, Dupont was among the 12 players given a breather for France’s second group-stage match against Uruguay. But against Namibia, with Dupont showcasing his creative brilliance, France was leading 54-0 when the collision occurred.
Namibian captain Deysel was initially shown a yellow card, but after a review by the television match official, it was upgraded to a red.
Galthie defended his decision not to sub out his star player earlier, saying, “What could we have done differently? You can’t pull out 14 players at halftime. Our strategy was to substitute forwards one, three, and five at halftime, and the rest at the 55th minute. We aimed to give everyone some game time and avoid rustiness. The players were eager to be on the field.”
Dupont’s spot was taken by Baptiste Couilloud from Lyon, who stepped up with two tries as France went on to break their previous record score of 87-10 against the same opponents at the 2007 World Cup.
This victory catapulted the host nation to the top of Pool A. Their eyes are now set on securing a spot in the quarter-finals as group winners when they face Italy in their final pool game on October 6th.
On September 22, 2023, French media reported that Dupont could return for the semifinals if he doesn’t have surgery. However, this is still uncertain and will depend on the severity of his injury.
