While Stade Toulousain is preparing to face Bayonne in the semi-final of the Top 14, Ugo Mola returned to the weight of the absence of Antoine Dupont.
Antoine Dupont will have the advantage of the experience during his top 14 semi-final against Bayonne. While the Basque club had not been at such a party for over thirty years, Toulouse will however be in known ground. But if the red and black are indeed large regulars of the last square of the top 14, they will have this time to compose without Antoine Dupont, the great architect of the last victorious conquests. An inevitably detrimental absence for the Toulousains.
“Antoine … I would have been, and I do not know how long I will be, the coach who will have had the chance to train Antoine Dupont for a little while. So I obviously benefited, like all of its partners, from the club … “thus entrusted Ugo Mola at a press conference about the one he considers as “The best player, undoubtedly, on the planet”.
However, the Toulouse coach has confidence in those who have been brought to replace him since his injury. “Obviously we are missing. But I think the group reacted differently. We adapted, we did not play the same way. We have half of melee like Paul Graou and Naoto Saito, and even some young people, who took the measure of the post, he said. In addition to that, we also adapted to them a little. Yes, Antoine is missing, but it is unfortunately part of this sport. »»
The absence of Antoine Dupont as a source of motivation
“Antoine’s injury marked everyone, but it arrived early enough for the group to be built a little differently and demonstrated a little earlier of resilience and performance, he still blown. We finished, in spite of himself, or without him, with a rather correct performance over the whole season. »»
And for François Cros, this absence of Antoine Dupont can “Also be a source of motivation”. “We have a large group with young people who grow strong behind and who are ready to take up the challenge. I have ample confidence in our resources to compensate for the absence of certain guys. »»
