France: Next '48 to 72 hours' will decide Antoine Dupont's fate

France assistant coach Laurent Labit has said the next 48 to 72 hours will determine whether or not Antoine Dupont plays any further part in the Rugby World Cup.

Labit was speaking following the record 96-0 victory over Namibia in Pool A in Marseille, which was marred by a facial fracture sustained by Dupont just after halftime in the Stade Velodrome.

Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) have confirmed that Dupont sustained a fracture to his maxillo-zygomatic bone, but an exact prognosis on his return won't be known for several days.

"We're like everyone else," said Labit. "We're worried, we were happy with the match but it was a difficult evening for us. We're not making any plans too soon. A surgeon will tell us more about Antoine's availability. We'll wait another 48 or 72 hours and then we'll know more.

"We''re going to give ourselves two or three days to get the opinion of a competent person who will tell us exactly what's going on. It will then be up to Antoine and the surgeon to make the decision. We can't think too far ahead.

"We have three scrum-halves, and Baptiste Couilloud made an excellent start yesterday. Maxime Lucu has been with us for a long time. We'll see. We're looking ahead to the Italy game and we'll be going there with our best team."

Dupont was said to be fearing the worst when he first arrived at the hospital.

"Antoine certainly imagined the worst before the first examinations. After the initial tests, Fabien [Galthié, head coach] went to see him. Today, we're just waiting for the appointment with the specialist to see what he can or can't do, and when he can return to training. That's what Antoine is focusing on at the moment.

"A World Cup is a long journey. The players prepared for a lot of injuries. That's inherent in our sport. In our minds, Antoine hasn't finished the competition yet. We're hoping for good news in the next three days. He's still in hospital, but he'll be discharged later today to recuperate and see the specialist."

Antoine Dupont, the France captain, receives treatment following head contact with Johan Deysel during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Pool A match between France and Namibia at Stade Velodrome on September 21, 2023 in Marseille, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

It looks likely that Maxime Lucu will replace Dupont, given his experience, but Labit refused to be drawn on the matter of selection.

"We have three days to recover before looking ahead to the Italy match in a fortnight's time. We're going to do what we always do. We'll get together to decide on the best team based on the strategy we've chosen for this match. Both Baptiste and Maxime will be able to start. We'll think about it after looking at our opponents.

"Yes, it's a very important competition, almost the sporting event of a lifetime for some," said Labit when asked should France have risked Dupont against group minnows Namibia. "It's a World Cup on home soil with a team that can claim overall victory. This is obviously a factor that should weigh heavily when the decision is made. But the final choice will depend on the surgeon and Antoine. The specialist knows who Antoine Dupont is and he's aware of what he's playing in."