France's Public Enemy No.1 Speaks Out After Reckless Hit On Dupont

Johan Deysel of Namibia has spoken following his tackle on Antoine Dupont during his side's 96-0 World Cup defeat to France in Marseille last night.

The head-to-head, red card hit rocked the rugby world, as Dupont left the field with a fearful look on his face, clutching his jaw.

His fears and those of an ebtire nation were confirmed this morning, when it was revealed that he had suffered a facial fracture, with a semi-final looking like the absolute earliest possible return for France's talisman.

While the hit was reckless, it is not an uncommon sight in such a physical sport, and there was clearly no intent to do harm, while Deysel is not known for being a dirty player.

He told the press that he offers his best wishes to Antoine Dupont, and that he has spoken to France's head coach:

I would like to extend my best wishes to Antoine Dupont. Clearly, I meant no harm. Everything happened very quickly and I couldn’t get my head out of the way quick enough, resulting in a head clash.

I know the rules and immediately knew that I was at fault. I spoke with coach Fabien Galthié immediately after the match and sent my best wishes and apologies to Antoine both personally and via the France team doctor.

He is a great player and person and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Namibia's Johan Deysel Speaks After Antoine Dupont Hit

Namibia have a try chalked off and a yellow card for Johan Deysel - since upgraded to red - after a head-high hit on Antoine Dupont

The French scrum half has been replaced

📺 Watch France v Namibia live on @rte2and @RTEplayer https://t.co/X7cSkZilkC pic.twitter.com/6iTgxfWSzK

— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) September 21, 2023

Namibia's head coach Allister Coetzee also spoke on the matter, and backed his player to the hilt.

"Johan Deysel is a great and experienced leader with a clean history regarding cards and foul play. He is a good person and captain with no malice.

"While I appreciate that fan emotions can run high, I would like to reiterate that his actions were not to cause harm. He was attempting to execute a tackle. We are united behind him."