France captain Antoine Dupont may have suffered a fractured jaw in his team’s record 96-0 victory against Namibia at the Rugby World Cup.
Key points:
Dupont sustained the injury early in the second halfHe was taken to hospital for a medical assessmentFrance recorded its biggest win in its Test history
Dupont sustained the injury in a head-to-head clash with Namibia captain Johan Deysel, whose initial yellow card was upgraded to a red in the 45th minute.
“Currently he’s (Dupont) in hospital being tested, there is the suspicion of a fracture to his jaw,” France coach Fabien Galthié said after the match in Marseille.
“I cannot tell you more than that. We are extremely concerned.”
France now anxiously waits to learn the extent of Dupont’s injury and its impact on its World Cup chances.
The match was a one-sided contest as expected, with Namibia woefully outgunned against a home side willing to run the ball from all parts of the field.
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A raucous 63,486 home crowd at the Stade de Marseille relished seeing the World Cup hosts in action as France takes its pool matches around the country.
France posted 14 tries, with Damian Penaud (three), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (two), Jonathan Danty (two) and Charles Ollivon (two) crossing the stripe more than once.
Dupont was also among the French try-scorers.
The scoreline beat France’s previous biggest victory in Tests, an 87-10 hammering of Namibia at the 2007 World Cup.
The result was France’s 17th win in a row on home soil.
Thomas Ramos broke the French record for conversions in a single Test with 12, while the 14 tries is also a team record.
France extended Namibia’s World Cup losing run to a record 25 matches.
The host nation opened the tournament by beating New Zealand 27-13 and followed with an uninspiring 27-12 victory against Uruguay.
France’s last pool match is against Italy on October 7 AEST.
Reuters/AP
