World Rugby defends bunker reviews at Rugby World Cup and says injured Dupont can wear a mask

Dupont underwent facial surgery to repair the fracture he sustained last Thursday from a head-on-head tackle in a 96-0 victory over Namibia.

MASKED UP? Antoine Dupont of France. Pic: ©INPHO/Dave Winter

World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin defended the bunker review system at the Rugby World Cup after a red card was not issued for Tonga winger Afusipa Taumoepeau’s hit on Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie last weekend.

Taumoepeau was given a yellow card for the first half incident last Sunday, but it wasn’t upgraded to red apparently because of Ritchie’s slight duck into the tackle. The captain subsequently failed a head injury assessment, which means a mandatory 12-day rest.