“Dupone!” Dupone! Dupone! » Surrounded by Spanish spectators who descended to the bottom of the stand after the official medal ceremony, the star of the weekend grabs the phone that is handed to her for a confident selfie with a smirk. The last moments at the edge of the Civitas Metropolitano lawn where Antoine Dupont and his partners disgusted Argentina an hour earlier (19-5), the most consistent team of the season, stifled in the final of the world circuit by the half of melee and the Blues of 7.
The French team won gold in Spain and its second tournament three months after winning the one in Los Angeles, where its star reinforcement for 2024 was already there. In three weekends with these Tricolores, “Toto” also won a bronze. Enough to give him the distinction of “rookie” of the year, or best beginner of the season. “Given my advanced age, I thought I was done with it,” smiles the 27-year-old.
The distinction from World Rugby salutes, beyond the name that the international federation tries to push as far forward as possible to publicize the discipline, the speed of adaptation of the Toulouse player to the constraints of 7. “The status he has in the world of rugby is deserved and he shows it every weekend with Toulouse, the French XV or 7 team, says Jean-Pascal Barraque, one of the veterans of this group. It gives us confidence and scares our opponents. He is a pleasant person in everyday life too. »
“It makes them exploit their potential to the maximum”
On Saturday, while starting on the bench, he carried the team against Great Britain to send Jérôme Daret’s men to the semi-final. A fabulous try and a decisive pass in overtime, boss. “He is used to winning with Toulouse, appreciates his coach. He transcends others, and he makes them exploit their potential to the maximum. » “He brings a lot of experience in the final four and during all the decisive matches, this will be important during the Olympic Games where we will have this type of matches,” continues Varian Pasquet.
His notoriety does not eclipse others, it delights them. France Télévisions shook up its program schedule to broadcast its final and that of the women’s, lost against Australia (26-7) a few moments earlier. “Thank you Antoine for bringing this image and also for what he does on the ground,” says Jean-Pascal Barraque. If his offensive flashes are praised, his impact in defense and in the rucks commands admiration given his little experience in the 7.
He insists on playing it collective and getting rid of this providential celebrity status. In the mixed zone on Sunday evening, Antoine Dupont only spoke using the “we”, greeted the most experienced players in the group and also those absent. “For the moment, things are going pretty well. Now we know where the ultimate objective is and why we are doing these tournaments,” he breathes.
With its victory in Madrid, the French team anchors itself a little more among the favorites for its home Olympic Games which it will open two days before the opening ceremony. “If we play all the matches like we played this final, no team can worry us,” says Varian Pasquet. Pushed hard, like all the Blues, by the phenomenon Antoine Dupont.
