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Antoine Dupont helps France end 19-year drought with SVNS win in LA
For the first time in 19 years, France have won a Cup final on the SVNS Series with marquee addition Antoine Dupont playing a starring role during their road to history-making glory.
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Dupont, who is a former World Rugby Player of the Year in 15s, put on a clinic against Ireland in a thrilling semi-final on Sunday afternoon before taking a backseat in the decider.
Playmaker Stephen Parez-Edo Martin was named to start for Les Bleus as they looked to lock up their first piece of series silverware since the Paris leg of the 2004/5 season.
Top of the mountain 🇫🇷🇳🇿🏆#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSLAX pic.twitter.com/xFU6dWfzH4
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) March 4, 2024
It was a tense start to the final as Great Britain slowly made their way up the field, but it very quickly became clear who the victors would be at the end of the night.
Antoine Zeghdar, Stephen Parez-Edo Martin and Theo Forner all crossed as this French team etched their names into the record books with a dominant 21-nil win.
“I don’t think I have really realised yet. When I get back home and spend time with my family I’ll get to realise what has happened,” France’s William Iraguha told RugbyPass.
“I’m so proud of the group. We worked so hard for this and we’ve been waiting for it for such a long time.
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“Last year we lost in the final, it was my first final personally, but I think we all had this feeling that it must be today.
“I don’t think I have much more words to explain how I feel.”
France were pipped by eventual runners-up New Zealand in last weekend’s SVNS Vancouver semi-final, but it still felt that history was within reach.
Les Bleus knocked over Canada and eventual-finalists Great Britain in pool play, and got the better of the United States and Ireland on their way to the big dance.
“Obviously we didn’t kick off the season as well as we would’ve wished. We struggled a bit but kept on going up, going up,” Iraguha said.
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“Last week in Vancouver we lost by two points in the semi and just knew, as I said, it’s just so close yet so far.
“We said now if we make it to the semis this weekend there’s no way we can’t just go all the way.
“Everybody played their part and we won. It’s a wonderful feeling… I’m so, so happy, I finally won a tournament.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Great work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
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