SHAUN EDWARDS: It was very quiet at breakfast after Antoine Dupont’s injury.. but hopefully he will be back to play a part later in the tournament
- France captain Antoine Dupont suffered an injury and spent the night in hospital
- He could return later on in the competition as France look to lift the World Cup
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It was a very quiet breakfast hall at our team hotel on Friday morning. I’m one of the early risers and Antoine Dupont was one of the first players down. He’d spent the night in the hospital after fracturing his cheekbone and there was a bit of swelling around his face.
Obviously you don’t want to see your captain suffer an injury. Someone like Antoine is very tough so when he was down on the floor we all knew it was something serious. The atmosphere in Marseille was bouncing — it reminds me of Old Trafford or Anfield with its steep stands — but there was a bit of a lull when they saw Antoine go off against Namibia.
Sometimes you can’t eat for a couple of weeks after an injury like that so I was delighted to see Antoine having a yoghurt and a protein shake. If you can’t eat then you might lose a stone and that really affects your power. Antoine is all muscle so it’s a real positive that he can maintain his weight.
If we make it to the latter stages of the World Cup then I’d be very surprised if he isn’t available for the quarter or semi-final.
The mood in the changing room was different to when we lost Romain Ntamack a few weeks ago. Everyone knew Romain was out for seven or eight months and the news sucked the life out of the room. This time it felt different. It’s a very different injury and we’d just won 96-0 so some of the boys still enjoyed a beer after three very intense matches. We’ve all got a few days off now and Antoine will go back to Toulouse for surgery. An injury like that always needs surgery.
France captain Antoine Dupont has suffered an injury and will miss his side’s next few games
There is hope he could be back for later on in the World Cup as his side bid to lift the trophy
France defence coach Shaun Edwards admitted things were quiet in the hotel after the injury
It happened to me when I was playing and they did the operation the very next morning. It’s a very painful injury but a broken cheekbone is easier to manage than a broken jaw. Of course the tackle was a total red card but things like that happen so quickly on the pitch.
The Namibian captain, Johan Deysel, who made the challenge looked distraught after the match and he apologised to Antoine. I feel a bit sorry for him in a way because a lot of people will be pointing fingers but I’m sure he didn’t set out to do it on purpose. It was a mistimed tackle and things like that just require training, training, training.
Fabien Galthie went to visit Antoine at the hospital and that shows how he cares about his players. Winning games is very important but the players are like your family. It’s a bit like being a parent. I never forget the terrible injury that Danny Cipriani suffered under my watch when I was head coach at Wasps. Part of the role is making sure your players get home safe and sound with proper care.
Antoine’s an iconic figure at the moment. There’s no doubt about that. His form has been strong and everyone knows his capabilities but we’ve got brilliant scrum-halves and brilliant leaders who will step up. Baptiste Couilloud came off the bench and nearly scored a hat-trick. He made a brilliant impact. As far as captains are concerned, Charles Ollivon has done it before and Gael Fickou is an outstanding leader.
The injury is front page news around France and everyone wants to see him play a part in this competition. He’s so popular in France and around the world, so it didn’t surprise me to hear someone like Kevin Sinfield wishing him a speedy recovery.
When Romain Ntamack picked up his injury it would clear he would miss the World Cup
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