Antoine Dupont excited by return to 'magical tournament'

Now that he is back in 15s after a successful sabbatical in sevens, Antoine Dupont is free to continue his love affair with the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship.

Dupont missed the entire tournament in 2024, to play at the Olympic Games in Paris, where he was credited with single-handedly winning the gold medal for the host nation.

France finished runners-up to Ireland in the Six Nations in his absence and will be all the stronger for having him back. In 2022 and 2023, Dupont won back-to-back Player of the Championship awards and the new laws offering greater protection to number nines could make him an even more potent weapon.

Cobus Reinach on the brilliance of Antoine Dupont

Springbok Reinach marvels at Dupont’s ability to get out of tight situations. Watch the full chat with Cobus Reinach in the latest episode of Fresh Starts on RugbyPass TV now.

Watch now

Cobus Reinach on the brilliance of Antoine Dupont

Springbok Reinach marvels at Dupont’s ability to get out of tight situations. Watch the full chat with Cobus Reinach in the latest episode of Fresh Starts on RugbyPass TV now.

Watch now

While question marks have been cast from the southern hemisphere about his ability to perform outside of Europe, there has never been any doubt about his importance to France’s Six Nations hopes.

And the 28-year-old Toulouse star admits it is great to be back ahead of what he hopes will be a triumphant return.

“I missed it a lot. It wasn’t easy watching the guys on TV last year, but I had other goals and now I’m really looking forward to returning to this wonderful tournament,” he said at the tournament launch in Rome.

“We have a lot of ambition for this tournament, just like the other teams. I think we have the potential. It’s a big challenge for us and we’re very excited about it.

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— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 21, 2025

“It wasn’t easy to watch the guys. I think last year’s result was not what we expected. But, once again, I had other objectives while being focused on my sevens career.

“I think that even if we were not at our best level, the end result was not so bad. We finished second in the tournament. We had a good series in November and we must continue, keep the momentum for the Six Nations.”

France beat Japan, Argentina and the All Blacks in the Autumn Nations Series, with Dupont starting all three games.

Les Bleus begin their Six Nations campaign at home to Wales on Friday, January 31st, before hitting the road for three rounds in a row with games against England, Italy and Ireland. France play Scotland in the final match of the Championship at Stade de France on Saturday, March 15th.

“I think it’s a magical tournament where all the stadiums are incredible. All stadiums have their specificities, but I love playing everywhere,” he added.

“At the Allianz, it will be a huge match, the same in Dublin and Rome.”