Injured: Antoine Dupont is helped off last weekend
France's memorable 42-27 Six Nations victory in Ireland last weekend has a sad downside showing World Rugby’s “player welfare” platitudes don’t bear close examination.
After 29 minutes, Antoine Dupont, the world’s leading player, was carried off the field with ruptured cruciate ligaments after his leg was trapped in a breakdown clearout by Irish forwards Andrew Porter and Tadhg Beirne.
Players crashing into opponents blatantly ignoring the binding law should have been effectively outlawed years ago as it is “dangerous and reckless”.
In 201...
