France captain Antoine Dupont suffered a facial fracture in Thursday’s 96-0 win against Namibia, the French Rugby Federation has confirmed.
The 2021 world participant of the yr was forced off in the forty sixth minute after Johan Deysel made a head-on-head deal with and was despatched off.
The FFR says Dupont will stay with the squad and can see a specialist to work out how lengthy he might be out for.
France’s remaining pool match is against Italy on 6 October.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for the weekend of 14-15 October, the semi-finals the weekend after and the ultimate on Saturday, 28 October.
“Antoine Dupont has suffered a maxillo-zygomatic fracture. A specialist surgical opinion has been requested to find out the precise size of the participant’s unavailability. Antoine Dupont stays with the France squad,” the FFR stated.
The lack of Dupont could be a extreme blow to France’s possibilities of profitable the World Cup for the primary time.
As properly as being named world participant of the yr he was additionally voted Six Nations participant of the match in 2022 and 2023.
The 26-year-old can also be unbeaten in 14 dwelling Tests as France captain.
After beating three-time winners New Zealand in the match’s opening sport, Dupont was amongst 12 gamers rested for France’s second group win over Uruguay.
He was restored to the aspect against Namibia in Marseille he helped the hosts right into a 54-0 lead earlier than his collision with Deysel.
The Namibia captain was initially proven a yellow card however that was upgraded to pink following a overview by the tv match official.
‘Dupont is the match poster boy’ – evaluation
Chris Jones, BBC rugby union correspondent
Dupont will see a specialist to find out what grade the fracture is, however early estimates are that he’s between 4 and 6 weeks out.
Not solely is it a determined blow for France however for the World Cup as an entire. Dupont is the match poster boy, the most effective participant in the world by a distance, with this World Cup an opportunity to cement his legacy as one of many best of all time.
He nonetheless would possibly do this – a semi-final might be in 5 weeks if France get there – however it’s contact and go, and it’s shades of Dan Carter in 2011, when one other all-time nice was dominated out of a World Cup on dwelling soil.
