Damian Penaud Shines with Hat-Trick as French Team Sets New High Score

France dominated Namibia with a resounding 96-0 victory at the Rugby World Cup, featuring a hat-trick from Damian Penaud. However, their celebration was dampened by a potentially serious injury to captain Antoine Dupont.

Les Bleus got off to a flying start as Penaud latched onto Dupont’s precise kick for an early try. Jonathan Danty followed up with a second, and Charles Ollivon made it three after a stunning team move down the wing. Both Penaud and Danty later secured second tries, while Thibaud Flament, Dupont himself, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey added to France’s impressive first-half tally, taking a 54-0 lead into halftime. Dupont’s left-footed crossfield kick set up Bielle-Biarrey for one of the night’s highlights.

Namibia appeared to score through Divan Rossouw shortly after the break, but the try was disallowed due to a high tackle on Dupont by Johan Deysel, who received a red card. The French captain left the pitch holding his jaw, raising concerns.

Against a depleted Namibian side, France pressed on, adding tries from Baptiste Couilloud, Penaud’s third, another by Bielle-Biarrey, and a second for Ollivon. Melvyn Jaminet joined the scoring before a late penalty try was awarded to the hosts. Thomas Ramos converted 12 of 13 attempts, with France surpassing their previous best World Cup win against Namibia, an 87-10 triumph in 2007.

In the closing moments, France sought to hit the 100-point mark, pushing to cover the length of the field, but fell just short on an otherwise stellar night for Les Bleus.