Pourquoi Antoine Dupont portait-il le numéro 25 à Vancouver

Par Willy Billiard
Antoine Dupont #25 (France) avant son entrée en jeu contre les États-Unis lors de la première journée des HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series - Vancouver au BC Place le 23 février 2024 à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. La France a gagné 24-12. (Photo par Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

Lorsque Antoine Dupont pénètre sur la pelouse du BC Place à Vancouver avec le reste de l’équipe de France 7, le numéro 25 qu’il présente dans le dos interpelle. Même chose lorsqu’il entre en jeu contre les Etats-Unis à un peu plus de trois minutes de la fin du premier match de poule.

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Deux interprétations ont animé les débats et la première semblait logique. Le meilleur joueur du monde à XV, comptant 52 sélections internationales, aurait tout simplement inversé les deux chiffres pour personnaliser son maillot, comme le permet la tradition du Sevens.

Or, c’est la deuxième explication qui est l’officielle, comme l’a confirmé auprès de RugbyPass le staff de France 7.

Un hommage à sa famille

Rupert Cox, commentateur du tournoi sur RugbyPassTV avait avancé une explication beaucoup plus personnelle et profonde pour le natif de Lannemezan (Hautes-Pyrénées).

En réalité, le « 2 » renvoie au mois de naissance de sa maman et son frère (février), tandis que le « 5 » renvoie au mois de naissance de son père (mai). Ainsi, par ce numéro « 25 »Antoine Dupont a souhaité rendre un hommage subtil et fort à sa famille.

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Jon 5 hours ago
Why Sam Cane's path to retirement is perfect for him and the All Blacks

> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.

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