The scrum half and captain of the XV of France Antoine Dupont, victim of a violent shock Thursday evening in Marseille against Namibia during the 2023 World Cup, suffers from a “maxillo-zygomatic fracture” but remains in the group, announced the French Rugby Federation on Friday.
“Specialized surgical advice was requested to precisely define the duration of unavailability,” adds the FFR. The maxillary bone is located in the jaw and the zygomatic bone is located higher at the level of the cheekbone.
Dupont could be out for at least a month
The Blues, who won the biggest victory in their history on Thursday (96-0) against the modest “Welwitschias”, are at the top of Group A, after two successes against New Zealand (27-13) at the opening of the competition, then against Uruguay (27-12).
According to several media, Dupont, voted best player in the world in 2021, could be absent for at least a month, which would already deprive him of the last meeting of the group stage of the Blues against Italy, on 6 October in Lyon, as well as their quarter-final on the weekend of October 14-15. A big blow therefore for the XV of France, given as one of the favorites for the World Cup, which it welcomes on its soil, alongside the South African world champions, Ireland, the world’s leading nation , and the All Blacks, three times crowned in this competition.
The injury occurred in the 46th minute of the match against the Welwitschias, Namibian captain Johan Deysel, launched, colliding head to head with Dupont. The captain and playing master of the Blues for four years then dismounted, touching his face, before calling on the medical staff who placed an ice pack on his right cheek. But the Stade Toulouse player seemed to be stunned, holding his head and rubbing his eyes before leaving the field, replaced by Baptiste Couilloud, in order to undergo a concussion protocol. He left the Stade Vélodrome shortly after to undergo examinations at a local hospital.
Antoine Dupont returns to Toulouse to consult specialists
The captain of the French rugby team Antoine Dupont, injured Thursday evening during the France-Namibia match, will return to Toulouse on Friday to consult specialists, we learned from Stade Toulousain. “Antoine is going to return to Toulouse to do additional imaging exams. Professor Nicolas Sans is waiting for him,” Didier Lacroix, president of Stade Toulousain, the club where Antoine Dupont plays, told AFP, confirming information from La Dépêche du midi. “Professor Lauwers, an expert in maxillofacial surgery, is also waiting for Antoine to define what is the best path, operation or not. To first of all be ‘secure’ about the player’s health,” added Didier Lacroix.
The Stade Toulousain player suffers from a “maxillo-zygomatic fracture”, according to the diagnosis communicated Friday by the French Rugby Federation (FFR). “A specialized surgical opinion was requested to precisely define the duration of the unavailability. Antoine Dupont remains with the France group,” added the FFR, without giving further details on his absence.