2023-09-22 11:11:53
But why was Antoine Dupont on the field in the 45th minute when the French XV led 54-0 against a very weak Namibian team? This is the question that all fans of the French rugby team are asking themselves this morning, whether fans of the oval or not. After the announcement of the maxillo-zygomatic fracture of the Blues playmaker following a head-to-head collision, the captain could be absent for 4 weeks. Enough to question the management of playing time of the man who was the best player in the world in 2021.
Was it really necessary to line him up from the kick-off?
Easy to ask afterwards. Fabien Galthié and the Blues staff had chosen to bring back the starters against the very weak Namibians, defeated 52-8 by Italy and 71-3 by the All Blacks. A carefully considered decision after the substitutes’ second missed match against Uruguay (unconvincing 27-12 victory). “We hear a lot of debate around team compositions. We build our teams by the week. There are no long-term forecasts for the competition,” the coach warned before the match at a press conference.
???? Antoine Dupont suffers from a maxillo-zygomatic fracture announced the Blues staff this Friday
Its duration of unavailability is not yet knownhttps://t.co/bhdbLUFzlk
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) September 22, 2023
Absent from the scoresheet for the second group match, Antoine Dupont made his return after the fanfare start against New Zealand. Without playing against Namibia, number 9 would therefore have spent almost a month without playing, between September 8 and October 6 against Italy. An impossible lack of rhythm at this level.
Aligning the starters even against such a weak team, “it’s a choice that seems totally coherent to me to allow us to build a competitive team,” replies our consultant Pierre Berbizier, former captain and coach of the French XV. These Blues need their leaders. Look at the Irish who played their two matches against small nations (Romania and Tonga) with their best team or almost, they are oiling their system and gaining confidence. »
Should it have been replaced sooner?
“Indeed, if Antoine Dupont had been replaced at half-time, he would not have been injured. » Fabien Galthié’s factual and fatalistic response after the meeting says a lot. If Antoine Dupont’s presence at the kick-off seemed perfectly logical, should he really still be on the pitch in the 45th minute, the moment of the clash against the Namibians?
Before that, Fabien Galthié had chosen to make three substitutions (Atonio, Woki and Baille), without removing his star player. But why ? “We cannot take out all fifteen players. We had planned to change the two pillars and a second line,” replied the French coach after the meeting.
Once established, and these are a bit of the joys and misfortunes of rugby, Antoine Dupont’s injury could have occurred in the first minutes, and the question would never have arisen. In this case, it’s mostly a matter of bad luck. The conductor of the XV of France was to leave in the following minutes.
“Every match day, we have a meeting with the coaches to talk about the match and the coaching we are planning. (…) Concerning Antoine and Matthieu (Jalibert), we had imagined taking them out in the 50th minute. But whether it’s at the 50th or before, there are always the risks that go with it in our sport,” conceded Laurent Labit, Fabien Galthié’s assistant. For the supporters of the Blues, as for the staff, we will not repeat history: “We have to live with it. »
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