Concern for Nicolas Depoortere. The French international and center of Union Bordeaux-Bègles had to be evacuated by the medical teams from the Chaban Delmas stadium this Saturday during the Top 14 match between UBB and Perpignan. A neck brace was placed around his neck and he had to be taken out on a stretcher, cheered by all the supporters present on site.
Conscious when he left the field, he suffered from a severe concussion. At a press conference after the match, UBB manager Yannick Bru also mentioned “a suspicion of a facial fracture”.
With ball in hand, Nicolas Depoortere was violently hit by Apisai Naqalevu while the Bordelais were well ahead in the score (31-0) at the start of the second half (45th). The Fijian player, 35 years old (1.84 m, 111 kg) obviously wanted to tackle the player but literally toppled the Bordeaux player in an impressive head-to-head collision.
After viewing the video, Apisai Naqalevu was logically sanctioned with a red card by the referee of the match. Perpignan finished the match at 14 against 15. Nicolas Depoortere was replaced by Mateo Garcia.
Under-20 world champion with the French team, Nicolas Depoortere, 21, had two caps with the A’s last season. The Blues face Japan on November 9, New Zealand on November 16 and Argentina on November 22 as part of their fall tour. The Bordeaux player was expected to appear in coach Fabien Galthié’s list of 42 players.
