1
Furious Fabien Galthie says France have cited two Ireland players over Antoine Dupont incident
By PA
France head coach Fabien Galthie branded the incident which injured Antoine Dupont “reprehensible” following a 42-27 demolition of Guinness Six Nations title rivals Ireland in Dublin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Les Bleus captain Dupont – widely-regarded as the world’s best player – is suspected to have suffered serious knee damage after being hurt during a ruck clearout involving Ireland pair Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter.
Galthie said France had cited both Beirne and Porter in their post-match report.
The visitors emphatically overcame the major first-half setback to blow open the championship title race by extinguishing Ireland’s Grand Slam dream with a devastating five-try victory.
“There is a suspicion of a quite serious knee injury to Antoine,” said Galthie. “He is suffering – let’s say it how it is.
“I don’t want to go into details, mainly due to medical confidentiality. We have cited two players – Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter – in our post-match report.”
Speaking to France 2 TV, he added: “In terms of the action, in my opinion it was reprehensible, and there are ways to study and analyse it.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We feel for him today. He is suffering and we are suffering with him.”
Dupont was visibly upset when he limped from the field in the 29th minute after Beirne, who appeared to be pushed by team-mate Porter, fell on his right leg, causing it to buckle.
Having come on as scrum-half replacement, Maxime Lucu said France’s skipper was in tears in the changing room.
Galthie was also angered by the second-half challenge which prematurely ended the participation of Pierre-Louis Barassi.
Ireland wing Calvin Nash – a late replacement in the hosts’ starting XV due to James Lowe’s back spasm – was yellow carded following head-on-head contact with the France centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
Six Nations
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
France
4
3
1
0
16
2
Ireland
4
3
1
0
14
3
Scotland
4
2
2
0
11
4
England
3
2
1
0
10
5
Italy
3
1
2
0
4
6
Wales
4
0
4
0
3
“We have also highlighted Nash to the citing commissioner for Pierre-Louis Barassi, who did not respond well to the HIA (head injury assessment) protocol,” said Galthie.
“We are angry and we want an explanation. We must protect our players. There are rules, regulations. I do not want to pass judgment on the quality of refereeing today.”
Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s early try – on the back of Ireland lock Joe McCarthy being sin-binned for a cynical, off-the-ball tug on Thomas Ramos – helped France into an 8-6 half-time lead before Dan Sheehan’s score shifted the momentum in the home team’s favour just after the restart.
But the stunned hosts were blitzed during a breathtaking second period
Bielle-Biarrey, the tournament’s top try-scorer, took his tally to seven with a sensational finish before Paul Boudehent, Oscar Jegou and the diving Damian Penaud completed the job, adding to 17 points from full-back Ramos.
Late scores for Cian Healy and Jack Conan, plus two penalties and three conversions from Sam Prendergast, was scant consolation for Simon Easterby’s side, who slipped two points behind their opponents after a shambolic second-half display.
Speaking of the Dupont injury, Ireland interim boss Easterby said: “I think it’s just a rugby incident where Tadhg cleans out someone in front of Antoine Dupont and he gets hit on the back of that.
“Players have a real awareness now of cleaning out on the lower limb of a player, which can create the type of injury that might have happened today. But that wasn’t the case.
“He was securing his own ball and not making contact on Dupont and unfortunately that happens.”
Ireland travel to Italy next weekend hoping France slip up at home to Scotland.
“The game was disappointing, obviously,” said Easterby. “We probably didn’t take enough of our opportunities in their 22, and vice-versa, we conceded too easily ourselves.”
Nash should have been red card , TMO is more and more useless for players injury
You’d think a coach that wears telescopic glasses that are big enough to see the rings on Saturn, would be able to see that this cleanout by Beirne and Porter was purely accidental and simply part of the game.
Talk about over-the-top, arrogant and precious over his little boy.
These things happen in a game of footy. No malice, accidental, play on.
Viva le crybabies.
Ireland are a dirty team, not man enough to out muscle teams legit like the Boks, they resort to croc-rolls and intentionally falling on opponents limbs in clear outs. Just ask Franco Mostert and Malcolm Marx etc, add Du Pont to the list as well.
From the people that enjoy eye gouging
Jesus, enjoy the victory. It was an non-incident. These things can unfortunately happen every weekend on a rugby pitch. It didn’t make a difference in the end. They were supremely dominant and deserved it.
It doesn't make a difference to Ireland but having Dupont with a season ending injury which could potentially affect him for the rest of his career makes a difference to the French. I'm not saying it was a deliberate act but it's certainly debatable and I can see why Galthié would see it that way.
Even with Gardner giving France literally everything he could, Galthie still isn't happy. Pre match he called the previous referees cheats now he's alluding to the same thing even when the French got even clearly wrong decisions their way.
Hopefully he gets sacked.
I saw one call in favour of France ; the clearing on O’Mahony during the building of their second try.
I saw many calls in favour of Ireland :
-2 potential yellow cards for O’Mahony for threwing himself late and shoulder first in the legs of 2 french players. Didn’t even got penalized.
-A perfect jackalling by Guillard on the build up of the 2nd Irish try that wasn’t rewarded.
-Nash yellow card was red everyday. Much worse than Ringrose’s tackle against against Wales.
-And of course the clearing of Beirne. I don’t believe it’s malicious, but definitely reckless. Could have been easily yellow.
You’re really shameless to be complaining about refeering today.
What a childish reaction… Why would Galthié get sacked ? His plan worked. Now he is doing what he can to have the injury of his best player reviewed. He did not criticized the ref in his post match interview. Gardner was also very generous with irish players in many rucks (on the first irish try, a very good jackal by Guillard was not awarded).
O’Mahony threw himself two times in the legs of French players (LBB and Moefana) without using his arms. How many times was he penalised ?
Just an accident. The good irish player dove in the ruck with no arms and accidentally fell on the leg supporting Dupont who was were he shouldn’t be, that is on a rugby field. https://twitter.com/i/status/1898390087752134901
Diving in the ruck with no arms, this is exactly the problem. A player shouldn’t clear in a ruck without using arm and only with a ‘closed shoulder’
I wish the French team congrats and well.
But Galthie is arrogant and dishonest. He does France no favours.
First of all France commit almost as many red card offenses than other teams combined in the 6N.
Now the Ringrose/Ntamack issue is a case in point.
Nothing to with Ireland having smart briefs or France being discriminated against. We can generally categorize these cases into two types where club releases are argued.
The burden of proof is that a player is EXPECTED to play a club match.
A: Where the red card occurs with an International match the following week.
B: When the red card occurs right before a fallow week.
In the case A:
The precdent is OMahony 2021, where Peter O’Mahony was red carded in Match 1 versus Wales, with another 6N match teh following week. His suspension did not include club matches.
Similarly Ntamack red happenned the week before another Six nations match. So the player CANT BE RELEASED until after that match. The problem now is accounting for the variables that could occur in that next match and in that week. Do France win? Do England win? How does Ntamack play? Is the back up no 10 fit? etc etc.
In other words it is impossible to make a call on whether the player would even be released never mind be expected to play. (There was one case an exception to this, Ill come back to)
In Case B:
Preecdents: Atonio (2023), Haouas (2023) and Danty (2024) ALL FRANCE.
These cases are more straightforward. No uncertainty about whether the Union are in a position to release the player exists as the last match before the fallow period has been played. The players ARE RELEASED. The burden of proof remains is the player expected to play. For Ringrose Ireland could show rotation in the midfield in all three matches. They could also show a request for Leinster to play Ringrose on the wing.
In fact significantly more was shown compared to the French precedents: consider that Danty was the permanent 13 for France when suspended.
I did mention that there was one exception in the Ntamack type case.
That was Willemse 2024. Willemse was suspended for two red card offenses getting a ban of 10 matches. It was decided to run the bans concurrently giving him 6. Good behaviour got it down to four matches and club matches did count meaning he was available to play the last two 6N matches.
Who was his witness that day? Fabien Galthie
How was the witness for the Ringrose stile case? of tonio (2023), Haouas (2023) and Danty (2024)? Fabien Galthie.
Galthie argued that both cases were the same when he KNEW they were different.
Not alone that, his team has benefitted more than any other in club match release in Ringrose situations.
Likewise his team has had the only club release in Ntamack style situations.
When World Rugby see Galthie walking through the door: ‘Ah Look, The boy who cried wolf’!
“First of all France commit almost as many red card offenses than other teams combined in the 6N.”
I saw one ; Ntamack against Wales and he got his red card. No other case of a dangerous play during this tournament.
Speaking about Ireland : just during the game against France, one yellow for Mc Carthy, one against Nash (should have been red 100%), one yellow forgotten (twice) for O Mahony for his jumps shoulder first with nor arms in the legs of 2 french players…
I write it again for you :
“First of all France commit almost as many red card offenses in the 5 combined games of the tournament than Ireland against France alone.”
Q: How many times did Ringrose play with Leinster during the 6N tournaments?
A: None.
The difference of treatment between Ringrose and NTK is a shame.
Yes. That’s what Galthie is saying too.
The French are buying all the best young players around the world rather complain about that then this rugby incident
Only 2 french players were not born french : Atonio and Meafou. They could be replaced with native french players without penalizing the level of the team too much.
On the Irish side : Gibson-park, Ahki and Lowe were born Kiwies, Hansen and Bealham aussies. I’m not sure you would have won even one 6 nations these past five years without these players.
You should think before you post.
Don't be horrible winners. Please don't.
Not after a performance like that.
The wee lad hits rucks no other 9 would even look at it. Just a rugby incident.
Ironically, an illegal croc roll would likely have prevented an ACL/UCL injury. Go figure.
You mean don’t sing in your head?
Got everything and still found something to moan about….
Typical Ireland. By hook or by crook.