Suddenly he snapped.
A long embrace with his friend from Stade Toulousain, the pillar Cyril Baille, from which he emerges with reddened eyes, wet cheeks.
The tears flowed, as the captain of the XV of France recognized in front of the cameras of France Télévisions.
“
We think back to all the sacrifices, to all the training, to everything we have endured for years.
We suffer on a daily basis to experience such emotions.
So, it's nice to let go a little when it wins...
“He then went to hug his loved ones present in the stands, including his parents Jean and Marie-Pierre, before returning to commune with his teammates, his friends.
And it was with a radiant smile of happiness and pride that, a few minutes later, Antoine Dupont lifted the Grand Slam trophy into the sky above Lyon.
Read also
How the XV of France found the heights
Did he hear the "
Dupont president
tumble from the ecstatic stands of the Stade de France?
Certainly.
The best player in the world enjoys a rating at the zenith with the supporters.
It embodies talent, mastery, efficiency.
Decisive once again, the day of his 40th selection, on his try at the hour of play which shattered the last English hopes, delivered all French rugby which had been waiting for this day of glory for twelve long years.
During the stressful meeting, the Toulouse scrum-half had already displayed all his mastery.
Pushing back the pressure of precise, long kicking whenever necessary.
Disgusting.
He also constantly sought to gain the small meters that make the difference, a permanent poison for the opposing defense.
And, to complete an XXL performance, he displayed his usual aggressiveness,
finishing as his team's top tackler (15 tackles).
Always more Superdupont…
At the time of the imposed passage in front of the media, Antoine Dupont developed his feelings.
“
We had narrowly failed twice
(2nd of the Six Nations in 2020 and 2021).
We had been able to realize the difficulty of winning this Tournament.
It is a difficult and long competition.
When the outcome is happy, it feels good to let go, to celebrate this Grand Slam all together.
“A collective triumph works to refocus the captain with each question on his personal case.
“
Technique and strategy have a lot to do with it.
But it is the state of mind of all the players that makes it possible to win the matches.
In the team, everyone encourages each other, whether on the pitch or off
.
I measure the chance of having already won everything with my club while some have ended their great career without lifting a trophy
Antoine Dupont
French champion for the second time and European champion with Stade Toulousain last spring, now in the legend of the XV of France alongside the glorious old ones, the kid from Castelnau-Magnoac, his roots in the Hautes-Pyrénées, transforms in gold everything he touches.
And, at 25, he does not intend to stop there.
“
Of course I am aware of being privileged.
I measure the chance of having already won everything with my club while some ended their great career without lifting a trophy.
But when you are in such a dynamic, you no longer want it to stop.
It motivates you to train ever harder in order to relive moments like these…
”
Read also
XV of France: and now, the 2023 World Cup…
French rugby holds with Antoine Dupont the superstar it needed to reconnect with the general public, expand its popularity with a view to the next World Cup in France in 2023. A gift from the gods.
The Toulousain is awash in advertising proposals, requests from non-sports media, for appearances in TV shows or the front pages of generalist magazines.
That of
GQ,
where he poses in a thick yellow bathrobe (signed Balenciaga), has recently made the buzz.
Headliner, gondola, of a XV of France which has regained its place in the hearts of the public.
According to the Odoxa sports barometer carried out for Keneo and RTL the week before France-England, 86% of French people (and… 98% of rugby fans) say they have a good opinion of the XV of France.
Antoine Dupont has a lot to do with it.