Antoine Dupont injured in the knee in the 28th minute of the match between France and Ireland. We do not yet know the severity of his injury.
The captain of the French team was forced to leave the game in the twenty-eighth minute, while the Blues led the game because of a knee injury. Antoine Dupont was hit in the right knee in a ruck in the first period on the lawn of Dublin. He left his place as a half scrum to Maxime Lucu, only three-quarters on the Blues bench. It was the third-line center Grégory Alldritt who took his place as captain for the rest of the match.
The Toulousain left the lawn of the Aviva Stadium by boxing. It was applauded by the whole stadium, including Irish supporters. A few minutes after leaving the field, the coach of the French team, Fabien Galkié, gave his news: “The news is not good. Antoine is hit in the knee, he will not be able to return.”
Bad news for France which led the game to five-zero and which was caught by Ireland after the departure of Antoine Dupont. This accident comes when France does not have the right to make mistakes if it wants to keep its chance to win the 2025 Six Nations tournament. Indeed, the Irish won their first three matches and are still in the running for the Grand Slam before Italy on the last day. The XV of France, which was beaten by the English, therefore has no choice but the victory this Saturday in Dublin.
A former knee injury
This is not the first time that the captain of the Blues has been injured in the right knee. In 2018, he had been the victim of a break in the cross ligaments, already against Ireland. An ancient injury that has something to worry, since the rupture of the crossed ligaments weakens the knee. It is not yet known whether this is the same injury today.
Latest updates
5:33 pm – Fabien Garthié admits to having “bad for Dupont”
At the microphone of France 2, the coach of the XV of France confided in the health of his captain and paid tribute to his replacement of the day Maxime Lucu: “I had pain for Antoine, on a reprehensible gesture. There are the means to look at this gesture, this cleaning. We are in pain for him today, he suffers. Max ‘was fantastic, because he made a great entrance. him.”
17:28 – The Blues fought so that Dupont “did not leave his health in the field for nothing”
François Cros entrusted to France 2 that he was “very proud of the match accomplished”. He explained, concerning the injury of Antoine Dupont, that it is “never easy to see a teammate go out, all the more Antoine. At halftime, he was very marked. It was important to do it for him, that he did not leave health on the ground for nothing”.
17:20 – Antoine Dupont in tears in the locker room
Antoine Dupont joined his team in the locker room at halftime. Maxime Lucu, his replacement on the ground, explained at the microphone of France 2 that he was in tears with his team. He assured that it was necessary to “resume the torch” and “pay him a small tribute” by going to the end of the decisive match for the XV of France.