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No-shows from England and France in our Six Nations team of the week
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New footage changes narrative in Antoine Dupont and Ben White spat
By Josh Raisey
The tension between Antoine Dupont and Ben White, which continued after the final whistle, was just one of the many subplots in Scotland’s 50-40 victory over France in round four of the Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland produced a performance for the ages to completely derail France’s Grand Slam charge, with Les Bleus’ talisman looking uncharacteristically flustered.
Animosity between the scrum-halves initially flared in the aftermath of Kyle Steyn’s second try of the match at Murrayfield, which extended Scotland’s lead to 33-14 after the conversion. White dislodged the ball from Dupont’s grasp with his tackle, allowing the winger to collect it and run in for the try.
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The France captain took umbrage with the Scot’s celebration and taunting after the try, and there still appeared to be bad blood after the match, when Dupont looked to have refused to shake White’s hand in the post-match tunnel.
The initial footage that has been shared online shows the Frenchman ignoring his counterpart’s gesture in the tunnel before a brief exchange of words. However, new footage has surfaced showing White walk past Dupont in France’s tunnel moments after, whereby the pair shake hands this time. With that said, there was still an exchange of words between the pair.
@scotland.exiles Dupont and Ben White #scottishrugby #benwhite #dupont #sixnationsrugby ? Frolic (Theme from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” TV Show) – Luciano Michelini
In the wake of the defeat, accusations of poor sportsmanship have been levelled at Dupont, who traditionally cuts a composed figure on the field. This perhaps suggests that the relationship between the two players is not as frosty as many have been led to believe.
What makes this mini rivalry more intriguing is that the two will likely line up against each other this season in club colours. White’s Toulon host Dupont’s Toulouse in the Top 14 in May, and they could be reacquainted in the knock-out stages further down the line.
With France and Scotland both level on points in the Six Nations heading into the final round, their attention will be on winning this weekend, with Scotland facing Ireland in Dublin and France hosting England at the Stade de France.
