Dupont is a ‘freak’: Ex-All Black on why more 15s players don’t play 7s

Rugby sevens has evolved in a big way over the last 16 years or so. This week’s men’s tournament at the Paris Olympics has broken records at Stade de France but the sport has had to go through a fairly significant transformation period to get to this point.

Former All Black Israel Dagg remembers when the national sevens side was simply “a stepping stone” for emerging talent coming through the ranks in 2008. Players would ply their trade on the circuit for a year or two before pursuing Super Rugby honours and beyond.

That was the way it was for a while. The All Blacks Sevens have always had a strong contingent of regulars including DJ Forbes, Tomasi Cama and Tim Mikkelson, but then there’s the likes of Ma’a Nonu, Beauden Barrett and Israel Dagg who weren’t there for too long.

World Rugby Guide to Rugby Sevens

Olympic Rugby Sevens kicks off in Paris on Wednesday. Here’s your full explanation of how it’ll work!

World Rugby Guide to Rugby Sevens

Olympic Rugby Sevens kicks off in Paris on Wednesday. Here’s your full explanation of how it’ll work!

But that seemed to change slightly in the leadup to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The All Blacks Sevens was mostly made of sevens specialists, but there were some marquee additions to the group including two-time Rugby World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams.

The sport has continued to change and grow, and on the day of New Zealand’s quarter-final exit from the men’s Paris Olympics competition, Dagg reflected on just how much the sport has changed and why some rugby fans “probably don’t know” sevens players.

“But now there is a specialist contract available for these players to be able to play sevens throughout… a circuit that has evolved,” Israel Dagg said on SENZ Breakfast.

“That’s why you probably don’t know them because a lot of these players are playing that sport for years and years and years… they don’t play the high-profile sports that is the representation of Super Rugby and etcetera.

“I totally agree, these players will be heartbroken. They’ll be devastated with what’s gone on but the pressure and the expectation of the public, particularly here in New Zealand, it weighs heavily on these players.

“When those small margins of error and pressure creep in, it does absolutely funny things.”

New Zealand flew through pool play at the Saint-Denis venue with a perfect run of three wins from as many matches. They got the better of Japan, South Africa and Ireland before moving onto the knockout rounds where a familiar foe awaited.

Team New Zealand came up against arch-rivals South Africa and it was a different story this time. The South Africans scored two tries on the back of some Selvyn Davids magic, and their defensive effort kept their opponents scoreless for quite some time.

Moses Leo scored New Zealand’s only try before the half-time break, and no points were scored at all in the second period. South Africa marched on while the Kiwis were left to rue what could’ve been and where it all went wrong.

Right now, it would be easy for some fans to question the makeup of the team. There aren’t any All Blacks in this squad which has come as a bit of a surprise to some.

But as Dagg elaborated on his point, the former All Blacks fullback labelled cross-code star Antoine Dupont as a “freak” before questioning whether 15s fans would want to see key players leave that format for a couple of years.

“You think back to 2016 when there were conversations about all these 15s players; your Ben Smith’s, your Sonny Bill Williams and everyone that was trying to have a crack at going to the Rio Olympics,” he added later on,” Dagg explained.

“It’s not as easy as you probably think. Antoine Dupont is making it look relatively easy but the other players, they struggle, man. It is totally different. The body has to be in different shape, you have to lose a hell of a lot of muscle and body fat to play that sport.

“It is fast, it is tiring and you have to take a lot of commitment and that’s probably why you don’t see a lot of these New Zealand 15s players playing because of the commitment, they cannot commit.

“Would you like to see a Ardie Savea or would you like to see someone step away from their 15-a-side game for two years to have a crack at the Olympics? I know Antoine Dupont has made it look easy but he’s an absolute freak.

“But it ain’t that easy.”

What Antoine Dupont has done in sevens this year isn’t normal. The Frenchman has won two titles in three tournaments – including the overall SVNS Series crown in Madrid – was named in the Dream Team after those events, and was named Rookie of the Year.

France are also two wins away from taking out Olympic gold at their home Games. They’ll take on South Africa for a shot at a guaranteed medal, and if they’re successful, either Fiji or Australia to determine who takes home the top gong.