France 96 – 0 Namibia

Damian Penaud (three), Jonathan Danty (two), Charles Ollivon (two), Thibaud Flament, Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (two), Baptiste Couilloud, Melvyn Jaminet tries saw France to record Rugby World Cup victory in 96-0 success vs Namibia; Win marred by Antoine Dupont facial injury

France skipper and talisman Antoine Dupont went off clutching his face before he underwent a head injury assessment vs Namibia

France cruised to a 96-0 Rugby World Cup Pool A victory over Namibia in Marseille, but face an anxious wait as skipper Antoine Dupont may have suffered a serious facial injury that could place his tournament in jeopardy.

The victory constituted France’s biggest ever victory, as they ran in 14 tries, including a hat-trick for wing Damian Penaud.

“There is a suspicion of a crack or fracture of the maxillary bone [upper jaw],” France head coach Fabien Galthie said afterwards.

“Currently he’s in hospital being tested, there is the suspicion. I cannot tell you more than that. We are extremely concerned.”

France hit the ground running when Penaud caught a Dupont kick to score after seven minutes, and they did not let up as Jonathan Danty grabbed the second and Charles Ollivon the third after a brilliant handling move down the right wing.

France’s Damian Penaud registered a hat-trick at the Stade Velodrome

Penaud and Danty each got their second before Thibaud Flament, Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey made it eight in the first half for a 54-0 lead.

Divan Rossouw crossed the line for Namibia with an interception early in the second half but it was ruled out for a high hit on Dupont, which earned Johan Deysel a red card and forced the France captain off the field worryingly holding his face.

Against 14 tiring men for 35 minutes, France scored further tries through Baptiste Couilloud, Penaud, Bielle-Biarrey, Ollivon, Melvyn Jaminet and a penalty try, with Thomas Ramos landing 12 of his 13 conversions.

France’s previous record win was 87-10, also against Namibia, at the 2007 World Cup in Toulouse.

Despite sitting atop the pool on 13 points after three wins, France are not yet guaranteed a quarter-final slot as New Zealand and Italy – the latter of whom France face in their final fixture in two weeks – could still both top the standings.

Ibanez: We feel sorry for Antoine; It reminds us how dangerous rugby can be

France general team manager Raphael Ibanez told ITV Sport…

“Antoine [Dupont] got a big hit on his face and we will do some exams to make sure nothing is wrong with him, but he is a strong guy and we can rely on his strength.

“We feel sorry for Antoine. It just reminds us how dangerous it can be with a head-to-head contact.

“We have many reasons to have a smile on our face tonight because we scored some decent tries with the home crowd, a lot of support and energy for the boys.

“We have got to leave with that energy, it is fantastic for our team and hopefully we keep on going.”

What’s next?

France next host Italy on Friday October 6, in their final Rugby World Cup Pool A game, at the OL Stadium in Lyon (8pm kick off BST).

Namibia are next in action vs Uruguay on Wednesday September 27, for their final Rugby World Cup Pool A match, also at the OL Stadium in Lyon (4.45pm kick off BST).