Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

'He's the one we're going for' - Ireland will target 'world's best player' Antoine Dupont

By PA
Antoine Dupont/Getty via PA

James Lowe openly admits Ireland will be gunning for the “world’s best player” Antoine Dupont when France visit Dublin. Scrum-half Dupont became the first French winner of the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship in 2020 and has received widespread adulation for his electric performances.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ireland must beat Les Bleus on Sunday to keep alive their title hopes and New Zealand-born wing Lowe is under no illusions about the dangers posed by the opposition’s star man.

“Dupont is a common theme into everything that goes well with this French side,” said Lowe, who qualified for his adopted country through residency rules in November.

Video Spacer

Simon Easterby breaks down Ireland’s prep for France:

Video Spacer

Simon Easterby breaks down Ireland’s prep for France:

“He’s an amazing player. To me, the world’s best player at the moment.

“I saw that (New Zealand scrum-half) Aaron Smith actually just came out and said openly he’s watching Dupont, what’s he’s done for Toulouse and this French side.

“He’s the key man and someone that we have to try to limit his damage. He’s the one we’re going for.”

While 24-year-old Dupont inspired France to a thumping opening-weekend win over Italy, Ireland must play catch-up after Peter O’Mahony’s early red card proved costly in a damaging defeat against Wales.

Lowe made his Six Nations debut in Cardiff and has gone from infrequently watching the competition on television when arriving home from late nights out to being “addicted” to it.

ADVERTISEMENT

Asked if the Six Nations had been on his radar before leaving his homeland to join Leinster in 2017, he replied: “No, to be quite frank.

“I didn’t watch the FPL (Premier League football) either but now I am addicted – I am addicted to both of them.

“Unfortunately due to the time difference – unless you’re coming home from town at three o’clock in the morning – you’re not catching too much of it live.

“It’s an amazing competition. There is so much at stake every single game and it’s awesome to be a part of.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Having established himself as a key player for his province, Lowe was thrust on to the international stage by head coach Andy Farrell, making his debut in the Autumn Nations Cup.

Lowe injury
Leinster wing James Lowe. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

He played in a win over Wales and defeat to England but was forced on to the sidelines by a groin injury suffered in training, before eventually winning his third cap in Sunday’s 21-16 loss at the Principality Stadium.

Lowe feels “ready to rumble” following the frustration of his enforced absence.

“It was bloody annoying. It was a little niggly one. I had two steps forward, one step back throughout the course of the eight weeks of rehab,” he said.

“They weren’t working very well together, my knee and my groin. It was just a tedious enough progress. But I am back, fully fit and ready to rumble.”

Elevation to the national team has brought increased scrutiny and Lowe was singled out by former England wing Chris Ashton for being “too big, too heavy, too slow” following Ireland’s 18-7 defeat at Twickenham in November.

Lowe accepts criticism comes with the territory but insists he is not particularly concerned by opinions originating outside the Irish camp.

“He’s probably one who has actually been there but 99 per cent of people who voice their opinion, they’re not the ones I care about, or worry about,” Lowe said of Ashton’s remarks.

“There is a group of men in here who have set out on a mission to achieve something and we’ll tell each other square to the face.

“It’s a professional environment based on performance and we’re all in here going in the same direction, trying to to achieve the same thing, so that’s all that really matters.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

44 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough' Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough'
Search