Seen from abroad, Antoine Dupont remains THE best player in French rugby and is capable of transforming the French XV.
The fall tests left a bitter taste in the mouth. Consequence of the defeat conceded in the opening by the XV of France against South Africa then of the two sluggish victories won against Fiji then Australia. By the admission of Fabien Galthié, their coach, the Blues are behind compared to four years ago.
However, there is reason to be optimistic for the future and in particular for the Six Nations Tournament which will begin at the beginning of February with a tantalizing shock against Ireland. Antoine Dupont has indeed made his comeback and his presence is likely to transform the XV of France. This is the feeling of Dan Biggar, the former RC Toulon player.
“He makes any team better. Not 1% or 2%. I think it’s a little bit more, probably well over 10%, because you look at the moments he can produce, he explained in the podcast The Rugby Pod. He produces big moments in matches, but he also produces lots of little moments that lead to big moments, in terms of little scratches around the rucks, little passes behind the back, attracting defenders. It’s brilliant. »
Romain Ntamack transformed with Antoine Dupont
“The Blues have one of the most exciting three-quarter lines in European rugby – Dupont, Ntamack, Fickou, Depoortere, Bielle-Biarrey, Penaud, Ramos – and they have the best player who has perhaps ever played this game returning in this context,” he continued, adding:
“He probably not only makes the team better and himself better, he obviously makes a really key relationship with Ntamack better too. So I think, yeah, they’ll be a lot better with him on the team than without him, let’s put it that way. »
And the former glory of Welsh rugby to dare a comparison with Maxime Lucu, his usual understudy with the Blues. “I love Maxime Lucu, really, I love him as a player, a super reliable player on the bases, but he doesn’t attract the same attention, neither on the way the backfield positions itself, nor on the way the guys defend when Antoine Dupont is in the team. He is such a threat and an absolutely world-class player. »
