ANTOINE DUPONT sparked fears his Rugby World Cup may already be over.
That’s after being rushed to hospital following a sickening clash of heads during France’s drubbing of Namibia.
Twitter @Top14PasOffFrance star Antoine Dupont was rushed to hospital after a sickening clash of heads[/caption]
ReutersThere are fears his World Cup is over with a fractured cheekbone[/caption]
The tournament hosts showed their strength with an incredible 96-0 victory on Thursday.
But the result was overshadowed by a horrific injury to superstar captain Dupont early in the second half.
The scrum-half was crunched in a head-to-head collision with opponent Johan Deysel.
Dupont looked to be in agony as he required pitch-side treatment from medics.
He was then rushed to hospital with a suspected broken cheekbone, which could see him miss a minimum of three weeks.
Indeed, there are now fears Dupont’s World Cup could be over should the damage be more serious.
As for Deysel, he was shown a yellow for the collision.
But the penalty was upgraded to a red during the bunker review, with the Namibia captain now set to serve a ban.
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AFPDupont’s injury came as France beat Namibia 96-0[/caption]
It certainly took the shine off France’s stunning 14-try romp.
Damian Penaud bagged a hat-trick, with Jonathan Danty also scoring twice.
It was the seventh-highest score in Rugby World Cup history.
And it also saw Namibia clock up a record 25th straight tournament defeat.
Fans reacted to the news of Dupont’s injury on social media.
One said: “This World Cup simply isn’t the same without Antoine Dupont playing in it. Wishing him the very best of health.”
Another declared: “Dupont looks properly hurt. Surprised he was playing tonight, it’s a red card all day long and we hope it’s not too serious for Dupont.”
One noted: “Dupont looked like a man who has a broken cheek bone and knows it.”
Another added: “No one, absolutely no one, wants to see a player of such utter skill, talent and determination be injured in such a reckless manner. Devastated for Dupont.”