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Why 'it was scary' for Antoine Dupont to play sevens again after 10 years
SVNS Series debutant Antoine Dupont has explained why “it was scary” to make the switch from 15s to sevens in a bid to be part of France’s squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics in July.
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Dupont is widely considered to be one of the top rugby players on the planet, with some going as far as to suggest that the Frenchman is the best there is.
But after it was revealed in November that the former World Rugby 15s Player of the Year would switch to rugby’s other format, Dupont described the move as a “little bit scary.”
In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live in December, Dupont said: “I will have a very busy year, but I love that and I am excited. It’s very exciting but a little bit scary.”
But Dupont, who captained France at last year’s Rugby World Cup on home soil, hasn’t exactly looked out of place after debuting on the SVNS Series on Day One in Vancouver.
Wearing the No. 25 jersey, Dupont came off the pine during France’s 24-12 win over the United States and again started on the bench later on Friday against Samoa.
Dupont took another step forward with a try-scoring start against Australia on Saturday. But the 27-year-old insists he still has plenty to “learn” about the fast-paced world of sevens.
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“You just have to watch the guys on the pitch to understand why it was scary,” Dupont told RugbyPass on Day Two at SVNS Vancouver.
“There are very fast guys and they’ve known this game for a very long time. I’m new on the Series so I have to learn.
“I have to do my best from the first game until the last.”
Dupont wouldn’t have played anything more than eight minutes on the opening day at SVNS Vancouver, but the Frenchmen showed enough to pique the interest of fans worldwide.
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With a reputation for attacking flair and rugby genius, it was only a matter of time until he had his moment. That chance came during a big win over Australia in pool play.
Dupont started ahead of Series regular Stephen Parez-Edo Martin and made the most of the opportunity by scoring his first try on the SVNS Series.
From a scrum, Dupont gathered the ball before dancing around defender Matt Gonzalez, and the SVNS recruit had the pace to burn as the playmaker ran in untouched for the score.
“All the action on the field makes me more confident,” Dupont said.
“I have to spend time on the field, spend time with the guys to know them better.
“I have to learn every minute when I am on the field.”
There have been a lot of genuinely gifted rugby players who have graced the sevens field. New Zealanders Sonny Bill Williams and Ardie Savea, Australia’s Quade Cooper and South Africa’s Cheslin Kolbe and Bryan Habana are among a short list of names.
But Dupont is the latest to make the headline-grabbing switch – at least for now with former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper committing to Australia’s sevens program before the Games.
As Dupont revealed to RugbyPass, it’s his first time playing rugby’s shorter format in a decade.
“I played a lot when I was 16, 17 years old,” Dupont explained.
“After I became pro it was more difficult to play sevens so I just watched the game on TV and I watched a lot of players who are here now.
“It’s a pleasure to play against them.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
43 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
4 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
43 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
43 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
4 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
6 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
6 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat 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.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to comments