France captain Antoine Dupont is having checks after struggling a suspected fractured jaw in the course of the hosts’ report 96-0 win in opposition to Namibia.
Dupont, 26, left the pitch within the forty sixth minute after Johan Deysel made a head-on-head sort out and was despatched off.
Scrum-half Dupont, who had earlier scored considered one of France’s 14 tries, went off holding his proper cheekbone.
“There is a suspicion of a crack or fracture in his jaw. He is gone for checks,” head coach Fabien Galthie mentioned.
“We’ll await the outcomes earlier than shifting ahead. We have to make the most of this nice victory and the gamers’ high quality efficiency.”
France normal group supervisor Raphael Ibanez advised ITV: “We really feel sorry for Antoine. It simply reminds us how harmful head-to-head contact will be.”
The lack of Dupont can be a extreme blow to France’s probabilities of profitable the World Cup for the primary time.
He was the world participant of the yr in 2021 and was voted Six Nations participant of the event in 2022 and 2023.
After a hard-earned win over New Zealand within the event’s opening recreation, Dupont was amongst 12 gamers rested for France’s second group win over Uruguay.
France’s full-strength aspect began in opposition to Namibia in Marseille on Thursday and – with Dupont at his artistic greatest – have been main 54-0 when Deysel collided with the Frenchman.
The Namibian captain was initially proven a yellow card however that was upgraded to pink following a evaluate by the tv match official.
Requested if he ought to have taken his star participant off at half-time to guard him from harm, Galthie mentioned: “What would you like me to say? You’ll be able to’t take 14 gamers off at half-time.
“Our plan was to convey off [forwards] one, three and 5 at half-time, then the remainder on the fifty fifth minute. The purpose was to present everybody some game-time and never sit again for a month. The gamers needed and wanted to play.”
Dupont was changed by Lyon scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud, who scored two tries as France went on to surpass their earlier report rating of 87-10 in opposition to the identical opponents on the 2007 World Cup.
The win moved the host nation high of Pool A and they’ll look to safe their place within the quarter-finals as group winners after they play Italy of their last pool recreation on 6 October.
