Sébastien Chabal will no longer be alone. The only rugby player present at the Musée Grévin will be joined by Frédéric Michalak and Antoine Dupont. The former half-back of the Blues, able to evolve also in the scrum, and the current captain of the XV of France will make their appearance on May 25. They become the 4th and 5th rugby players honoured by the Museum. The first two are no longer visible because their statues have since been removed. They were Adolphe Jauréguy, a rugby star in the 1920s, and Lucien Mias, a former glory of the 1960s.
The appearance of Michalak and Dupont is not a surprise a few months before the World Cup in France which will take place from September 8 to October 28. It confirms how rugby is a sport that is a hit, like the audiences of France TV during the Six Nations Tournament, which had not been so good for fifteen years.
True star of the XV of France current, Antoine Dupont offers himself a new personal consecration. The Stade Toulousain player had already been voted best player in the world in 2021. The 26-year-old captain already has 47 caps and will be the major asset of the France at the World Cup after leading it to the Grand Slam in 2022 and an unprecedented series of fourteen wins in a row between 2021 and 2023.
For Frédéric Michalak, recognition comes at 40. Best director in the blue jersey with 436 points scored, the future assistant coach of Racing 92 remains a rugby legend. Michalak and Dupont participated in creative shoots that included photos, 3D image capture videos, face and body measurements, and hand casts. The statue of Michalak was made by the sculptor Clause Velte while that of Dupont by Stéphane Barret.
The two rugby players will be unveiled in match dress in a dressing room setting. They will sit next to Sébastien Chabal, but also other great sportsmen such as footballers Kylian Mbappé and Zinedine Zidane.