France celebrates against Namibia in the Rugby World Cup, but Dupont worries

First modification: 21/09/2023 – 23:45

2 min

The 26-year-old scrum half, voted the best player in the world in 2021, had to retire at the start of the second half after receiving a strong blow to the head when Johan Deysel tried to tackle him, a dangerous action that cost the Namibian captain his expulsion. .

“We suspect that he may have a fissure or a fracture in his jaw, but we are going to wait for the medical examinations,” declared the worried French coach Fabien Galthié.

If they cannot count on Dupont in the next matches, it would be a serious blow to France’s World Cup aspirations, which is already facing the tournament without its other great star, flyhalf Romain Ntamack, injured shortly before the event.

After the difficulties that the Gauls had in winning the previous match against Uruguay (27-12), the XV del Gallo achieved the largest victory in its history, surpassing the 87-10 also achieved against Namibia in 2007, the other World Cup. organized in France.

Frustrated against Uruguay

“We were a little frustrated with the game the other day, but we told ourselves that we had to forget about it and approach this game as if it were already a eliminatory match. We have put all the ingredients in place and when we play like this, the normal thing is that we win,” congratulated the third Anthony Jelonch line.

With the victory and 13 points in three games, France is practically guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals, although it will have to seal it in the last match of the first phase in group A, against Italy on October 6 in Lyon.

The Italians are second with 10 points in two games, but they have the two most complicated games left, up to the All Blacks (5 points) and the hosts.

Namibia, for its part, will be Uruguay’s rival next week (Wednesday the 27th in Lyon).

Facing a semi-professional African team that has never won a game in a Rugby World Cup (it is their seventh participation), the French barely needed twenty minutes not only to decide the match, but to add the offensive bonus point (four tries scored) which can be decisive in the event of multiple ties in the group classification.

Damian Penaud stood out, with three tries, and Thomas Ramos, with 12 conversions and 24 points in a victory of those that feel very good to the team that achieves it, but that also hurts a sport in which the difference between teams continues to be Too big.

© 2023 AFP