The XV of France has not yet found a star. But the Blues have a boss. On the field since the start of the Six Nations Tournament, the half scrum Antoine Dupont behaves like a real conductor. And despite his size (1.74 m for 82 kg), he does not hesitate to get involved in the fight. The Stade de France still roars from the decisive attacking tackle made on its English counterpart at the last minute of success against England (24-17).
If you add a zig-zag in the defense of the vice-world champions to offer his second try to Captain Charles Ollivon, it was enough for the British media to pique their curiosity: "Who's that Dupont?" ( Editor's note: who is this Dupont? ). The BBC has therefore sent a team to Castelnau-Magnoac, the village of Hautes-Pyrénées where the new 23-year-old French rugby nugget is from.
With a superb Dupont offering for Alldritt, France breaks before the break! Romain Ntamack transforms the test with the help of posts 🤫 23 🇫🇷 - 🇮🇹 10 #FRAvITA # 6nations
🏉 Follow the meeting live ▶ https://t.co/V5PWuGtF7J pic.twitter.com/X1kDqDePWT
It is there, in this village of 800 souls in front of the family hotel-restaurant - where the famous recipe for duck in a casserole dish was secretly kept - that the wisp, holder against the Welsh on Saturday, woke up to rugby in a long family tradition. From dad to great-uncle, passing by his big brother Clément, everyone dabbled in the oval balloon. “It's the darling of the media and the village confirms Bernard Verdier, the mayor of the town. We saw him with the ball in front of the hotel. He was playing all the time. "
"He knows how to keep his feet on the ground"
"It was built in this rugby game", analyzes Julien Sarraute who recovered the phenomenon as a cadet at the Auch training center, 42 km from the village of Castelnau-Magnoac. In one-on-one confrontation with his 4-year-old older brother, little Antoine has shaped avoidance rugby. "He still plays today as he learned to do around his home," says Sarraute, now coach of Colomiers (Federal 1, 3rd division). In Auch, far from the family cocoon, the early days were hard even if the older brother who preceded him was by his side. The club does not manage to stay in Federal 1 and the sirens of the Top 14 already whistle in the ears of the boy prodigy.
Bordeaux rolls out the red carpet for him but Castres wins the piece. The young scrum half estimated that he would be more likely to dig his furrow in the Tarn. "He has his head on his shoulders and knows how to keep his feet on the ground," says Sarraute about his former protégé, who is not yet at the age of majority and must request a waiver to progress with the pros. The bet is won even if Dupont's slightly crazy rugby tends to annoy the one who has just taken over Castres Olympique, a certain Christophe Urios.
"He's a furious bull," explains the manager, who is now in Bordeaux. He takes the ball, grabs spaces, refines, pivots, he is strong like a donkey and he scores. But, besides that, he left alone on board and lost the ball. The technician channels the phenomenon and gives him the keys to direct the big guys before seeing him spin at the Stade Toulousain. “It's the best from the moment you let him play as he knows how to do it. It naturally responds to all situations, adapts constantly, "continues Sarraute, who now sees the native of Magnoac" one of the best numbers 9 in the world ". " Why ? Simply because training and working for him is a game. ”
A privileged relationship with its forefathers
"He likes the shiny side of three-quarters but he is also a quiet guy who knows how to put his hands in the stove with the front when necessary", develops Yoann Huget who hesitates a little when it comes to defining his teammate. Because Antoine Dupont has always had a closeness to the front players who serve him in his role on the field. Younger, he was already close to those who are affectionately nicknamed "the big guys", notably Cyril Baille, met during his first years of rugby in the Hautes-Pyrénées and today a partner in Toulouse and in Blue.
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Dupont does not hesitate to participate in training sessions with the 8 in front. "He is very close to us," confirms Guillaume Marchand, hooker at Stade Toulousain. It's easy to play with him because he always points us ahead of the game. We know how to act. Dupont is however not very talkative. "He is fairly discreet and exercises natural leadership through his play," explains Régis Sonnes, the Toulouse forward coach. The forefathers have confidence in him because he is intelligent, he knows how to unlock situations, and he relieves them by putting buffers thanks to his physical qualities. "
Dupont is often compared to Byron Kelleher, the former All Black who passed through Toulouse (2007-2011). “But above all, he invents a new mold, defines Yoann Huget. It is unclassifiable. The only thing we can be sure of is that where there is the ball, there is Antoine Dupont. This omnipresence on the ground could soon spread and gain advertisers' advertising inserts.
Today, he is the player most applauded by the Stade de France, embodies this new tricolor wave and it does not take much more to imagine the young man of 23 years becoming the new star of tricolor rugby. "He has everything to be," says Thierry Cazedevals, an agent close to the scrum half at Stade Toulousain. Abroad, the media and consultants are starting to talk about him. In view of the 2023 World Cup in France, his profile may also interest brands who would like to take advantage of the event to communicate. "
According to our information, the entourage of Antoine Dupont has established contacts with several advertisers who wish to communicate around his image. Many meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks. "He looks at what we offer him, but he won't associate with anything," slips Thierry Cazedevals. He has the image of a simple boy, he must not go astray. "
"His notoriety will be linked to what he will do on the ground"
For now, the young man, already holder with the XV of France during the World Cup in Japan, has a reputation still low. Certainly, he is one of the players of the XV of France the most followed on social networks with 128,000 subscribers on Instagram. But like his partners, he had to wait for the upturn in the XV of France to be confirmed before reaching more French people.
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"It is emerging, but the problem for him is going to be to last. In a sport where we say that the star is the team, it is difficult for an individual to stand out, says Jérôme Neveu, president of Advent. His notoriety will be linked to what he will do on the field and the results of the team. "
"Apart from Sébastien Chabal, no one in France has ever gone beyond the framework of his sport," points out the former communications advisor to the bearded rugby player, Pascal Irastorza. So asking him to be a star beyond rugby is an impossible challenge. Now, if everything goes well for him, he has the potential to mark his sport as a Thierry Dusautoir for example. And in 2023, brands interested in rugby will turn to Antoine Dupont. "