Les Blues Crush Namibia in Rugby World Cup with Record Win but Face Worry Over Injured Captain

France showcased their prowess with a crushing 96-0 victory over Namibia at the Rugby World Cup, led by a stunning hat-trick from Damian Penaud. Despite the emphatic win, the night was marred by concern over captain Antoine Dupont, who left the field with a possible jaw injury following a high tackle that resulted in a red card for Namibia’s Johan Deysel.

The French side began with relentless energy, with Penaud opening the scoring by catching a Dupont kick within the first seven minutes. Tries from Jonathan Danty, Charles Ollivon, and another by Penaud quickly extended the lead. Dupont’s remarkable crossfield kick to set up Louis Bielle-Biarrey capped off a dominant first half, with Les Blues leading 54-0 at the break.

Namibia thought they had a moment of relief when Divan Rossouw crossed the line early in the second half, only for the try to be disallowed due to a high hit on Dupont. Reduced to 14 men, Namibia struggled to contain a relentless French attack, which added further tries through Baptiste Couilloud, Penaud’s hat-trick effort, and additional scores from Bielle-Biarrey, Ollivon, and Melvyn Jaminet. A late penalty try pushed the final tally to 96 points, with Thomas Ramos converting 12 out of 13 attempts.

The victory surpassed France’s previous record win, also against Namibia, in the 2007 World Cup. Despite briefly eyeing a century scoreline, Les Blues’ focus turned to their injured captain, whose health could impact their World Cup campaign going forward.