Sidelined.

France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont has undergone surgery after fracturing his jaw in the win over Namibia on Thursday night.

The talented number nine suffered the injury following a nasty head-to-head collision with Namibia captain Johan Deysel, whose initial yellow card was upgraded to a red after a bunker review.

France sought specialist advice following the incident and their captain has now had an operation on the fracture. The French Rugby Federation (FFR) confirmed Dupont will now return to the squad, although their statement did not say whether Dupont will play again at the tournament, reports suggest he will be out for 4-6 weeks.

“Following his injury sustained during the France-Namibia match, Antoine Dupont underwent surgery at Toulouse’s Purpan University on Sept. 22 at around 11 p.m,” an FFR statement read.

“In a few days’ time, he will be able to return to the French team as part of a gradual sporting recovery under medical supervision.”

The injury means he will miss France’s final pool match against Italy and likely the quarter-final stages at the very least.