When France’s Antoine Dupont was elbowed in the face during his first Toulouse game since the Rugby World Cup, he received a wild reception upon returning to the Top 14.
During the second half, Dupont—who is notorious for his facial injuries he sustained against Namibia during the Rugby World Cup—entered the field to replace Thomas Ramos, who had suffered a leg injury.
Even though Stade Toulousain was ahead 43–20, the game took a bad turn when Dupont, who had only been on the field for 25 minutes, was elbowed forcefully by Alivereti Duguivalu of Perpignan, who had carried the ball into contact.
Dupont, the player who was going to tackle Duguivalu, suffered a brief collapse as a result of the hit to the face.
Fortunately, preliminary evaluations indicated that the injury was not serious.
Duguivalu, the Fijian center back from Perpignan, was given a yellow card for his misbehavior because it was considered a moderate risk. Even though Dupont did not sustain a new facial injury as a result of the collision, it was undoubtedly a cause for concern for both stadium goers and those watching the game on television.
Carton jaune pour Duguivalu ! 🟨
Le perpignanais est coupable d’un coude dans la tête d’Antoine Dupont.
Ça nous rappelle des mauvais souvenirs… 😬 #STUSAP #TOP14 #Rugby #StadeToulousain #USAP #RugbyXV pic.twitter.com/5oqlIjc5sM
— Le Top14 Pas Officiel (@Top14PasOff_Bis) November 11, 2023
Stade Toulousain ultimately secured the victory with a final score of 43-20.
After the game Dupont spoke about his return and his facial injury and how the press had been inaccurate about the nature of the fracture: “It’s always nice to come back when we leave for international periods,” said Dupont. “This one was even longer and there were things to evacuate. It feels good to be back with the group, to get back into club life and to re-train and then play again. I read a lot of things that weren’t proven. I don’t know why it was said like that. But my healing period was over so I was able to resume normally like all my teammates to be able to apply and be in the group this weekend.”
