Imagine losing teeth during training, then having to face a brutal match just days later. That's exactly what happened to Anthony Belleau of the Northampton Saints. He wasn't even supposed to play against Bordeaux! Belleau was sidelined due to a gruesome facial injury sustained during training the previous week, meaning he was set to miss this important homecoming match. But here's where it gets controversial...
Fate intervened when starting fly-half Fin Smith was unexpectedly ruled out with a calf strain on game day. Add to that the absence of other key players like Fraser Dingwall (concussion) and George Furbank (also a calf injury), and the Saints were in a bind. They had no choice but to call upon their experienced Frenchman, Belleau.
Despite the injury, the 29-year-old, who boasts 12 caps for France, had been relentlessly pleading to play all week. The coaching staff, concerned for his well-being, initially resisted. The injury was severe: a deep gash between his chin and mouth, coupled with a significant impact to his jaw. In fact, Belleau had to literally pick up his own teeth from the training ground turf! Specialist dental consultations and an emergency mouthguard fitting followed. Then, Smith's injury opened the door for Belleau, formerly of Toulon and Clermont Auvergne, to take the field as Northampton ultimately lost to Bordeaux 50-28.
Northampton's director of rugby, Phil Dowson, painted a vivid picture: "He had a pretty shocking injury, a really big cut down his chin, losing teeth. We found teeth in training on the pitch that we presume are his. He’d been messaging the physio all week saying: ‘I’m fit to play, I’m fit to play.’" Dowson continued, "And because we had Fin fit, we wanted to look after him and make sure that was healed. But as soon as Fin went down, Tony was knocking on the door saying: ‘I want to play.’ And this is the part most people miss...
Dowson elaborated on Belleau's character and commitment: "That speaks volumes, one, about him as a person and two, about how much he cares about the team. He initiated it. He saw a specialist dentist around what the further ramifications of a [anaesthetic] shot in there would be, as unlikely as it is."
To ensure Belleau could play, "He had a specialist gumshield made for his lower set of teeth, just for the match. Annoyingly, he did some contact training on Saturday to get him back into it, and he forgot his gum shield, so we had to get a taxi back to the hotel to go and get it. He showed a good backbone there to get stuck in and I thought he played pretty well in the back of that as well.”
Dowson even shared a lighthearted anecdote, joking that Belleau considered turning his recovered tooth into a macabre souvenir: "He’s thinking of making a necklace with the one he found!" the coach chuckled. "So he’ll be OK and we’ll make sure that we look after him and we get the correct treatment for him."
Dowson concluded by addressing Belleau's ongoing dental care: "He will have further dentistry in the next couple of months in terms of how that goes. There was a bit of blood coming out of the stitches [after the Bordeaux loss], but the stitches held pretty well. The gum shield obviously looked after his bottom teeth, the ones that have been put back in there."
But here's the real question: Was it reckless to let Belleau play given the severity of his injury, even with the specialist gumshield? Or was it a testament to his unwavering dedication and the team's desperate need? Some might argue that player safety should always be paramount, while others might admire Belleau's commitment. What are your thoughts? Do you think the Northampton Saints made the right call, or should they have prioritized Belleau's long-term health over short-term gains? Let us know in the comments below!
