France coach Philippe Saint-Andre revealed that wing Yoann Huget is a major Rugby World Cup doubt after damaging his knee in Saturday’s 32-10 victory over Italy.
– RWC2015: Where to watch in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
– RWC2015: Brown scores two tries as England win Fiji opener
– #RWC2015: In-depth Team-by-team breakdown
Huget limped off in the first half after sustaining an injury incurred when running with the ball and cutting inside and he will discover on Sunday if he is to play any further part in the tournament.
“The news over Huget isn’t very reassuring. He got injured on his own standing up and it could be ligament damage,” Saint-Andre said.
“There will be a medical check-up on Sunday morning and we’ll make a decision quickly once we know what the outcome of that.”
Props Rabah Slimani and Nicolas Mas crossed in a solid if not spectacular victory and Saint-Andre lamented France’s inability to finish with a try-scoring bonus point.
“It was physical and Italy were very good in defence. We know we can do better. I would have preferred to have finished with Yoann fit of course,” Saint-Andre said.
“The try-scoring bonus point would have been the icing on the cake, but we won so let’s look forward to Romania. We know we have to win all games to finish top of the game.”
Italy coach Jacques Brunel revealed that centre Andrea Masi ruptured his Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the World Cup and possibly the remainder of the season.
“Masi broke the tendon and is the third centre we’ve lost in two weeks. It’s the latest in a series of events that leave us with a bitter taste in the mouth,” Brunel said.
That’s it. France 32-10 Italy. France never troubled, simply too strong for Italy. Louis Picamoles named MOTM. #FRAvITA
— Rugby World (@Rugbyworldmag) September 19, 2015
Italy were missing captain Sergio Parisse to a knee injury but Brunel refused to blame the absence of their talisman for the defeat.
“The loss of Parisse is of course an important factor, but I don’t think it’s the main reason for the defeat,” Brunel said.
“France deserved to win, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the game we played. We didn’t understand the refereeing (at) the scrum.”
