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
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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."
SEE ALSO: Antoine Dupont's World Cup In Doubt As Facial Fracture Confirmed
