Staff Reporter
LYON, FRANCE, Sept. 27 — Namibia’s captain, Johan Deysel, has received a six-game suspension for his head-on-head tackle that caused an injury to France’s skipper, Antoine Dupont, putting Dupont’s World Cup participation in doubt.
Dupont is currently recuperating from facial fracture surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the tournament.
During his disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, Deysel accepted a red card for the tackle, and the panel classified the offence as a high-end infringement.
Initially, the 32-year-old was handed a 12-match suspension, but it was reduced by half due to his impeccable disciplinary history and his apology to Dupont.
Deysel has committed to attending World Rugby’s ‘tackle school,’ a program designed to improve tackling techniques, with the goal of reducing his suspension by one additional game.
The suspension will commence on Wednesday night, coinciding with Namibia’s final Group A game in Lyon against Uruguay.
Namibia’s head coach, Allister Coetzee, has named Tjiuee Uanivi as the captain for the match at the Groupama Stadium.
Coetzee expressed confidence in Uanivi’s ability to lead the team, highlighting his prior experience as a skipper in four previous instances and his role within the leadership group.
There are reports that medical professionals are working on a face mask that would enable Dupont to return to play for France, although the timeline for his comeback remains uncertain.
Dupont sustained the injury while France was leading Namibia 54-0. Subsequently, France’s head coach, Fabien Galthé, faced intense scrutiny for not withdrawing the 26-year-old star player earlier in a match that evolved into a one-sided display of dominance.
Deysel’s suspension poses a significant setback for Namibia, who are already struggling in Group A. They have suffered defeats in all three of their matches and currently occupy the bottom position in the group standings.
