15 September 2023 , 19:49
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The world of rugby is behind Le Roux Malan after the Namibia centre suffered a sickening leg injury during his nation's clash with the All Blacks in the World Cup on Friday.
Malan, 24, slipped trying to tackle New Zealand's Beauden Barrett high up the pitch, leaving his leg in a horrifically unnatural position. ITV didn't show replays of the gruesome incident which left the Namibia star on the floor yelling for attention, and fans quickly reacted with horror.
"Goodness me, I've not seen many reactions to an injury like that," one viewer wrote. "This is going to be a bad one." Another added: "That is an absolutely horrific leg break," while a third followed-up by saying: "I think Luke Pearce's reaction was everything… truly shocking."
Following seven minutes of treatment, the 24-year-old was stretchered off and driven away from the pitch on a buggy while receiving oxygen. With the All Blacks leading 12-3 in the opening stages, the whole of the Stadium de Toulouse applauded his exit.
New Zealand's official X account soon posted: "Our thoughts are with Namibian centre Le Roux Malan. Wishing him all the best with his recovery."
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Replaced by JC Greyling, the break for Malan's injury didn't change the flow of the game, as the All Blacks continued to dominate. New Zealand led 38-3 by half-time, having begun their campaign with defeat to hosts France last Friday.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster described the Pool A clash with Namibia on Friday as "vital," adding in his pre-match press conference: "It is a key game for us to get right and we've selected accordingly. "We are expecting a very tough Namibian side to test us on Friday.
Nambia's Le Roux Malan suffered a sickening injury against New Zealand and was applauded off (Phil Walter/Getty Images)Have your say! Who'll win the Rugby World Cup? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
"While we were disappointed with the result in the first round, it hasn't moved our focus from what we need to do to in our pool games. This game is vital for us to grow and we can't wait to get to Toulouse and test ourselves."
But New Zealand didn't receive much of a test, with former rugby league star Tulsen Tollett declaring on BBC Radio 5 Live: "It is a comprehensive performance so far from New Zealand.
"Namibia need to work on two things, defensively they need to be stronger with communication and then lineouts. They have lost three lineouts, when you lose that many you have got to pick up that part of your game."