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Teddy Thomas' faith in 'cracking' successor to Antoine Dupont
Even though he hasn’t worn the Les Bleus jersey since 17 July 2021 in Australia, international winger Teddy Thomas hasn’t missed a single moment of the French team’s progress, especially in the 2024 Guiness Men’s Six Nations.
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He is as delighted as anyone by the 45-24 victory over Wales on Saturday 9 March in Cardiff on the penultimate day of the tournament.
“I’m very happy for them because a lot of criticism was levelled at them after the draw with Italy,” he says in the 7th episode of the BastaShow with Mathieu Bastareaud, to watch exclusively on the RugbyPassFR YouTube channel.
“I think the players were keen to show their true colours. They did it at the Millennium Stadium in the best possible way. Scoring 40 points there is something to remember in our careers.
“They played some great rugby, and it was great to see them play. They had nothing to lose. It couldn’t have been any worse than it looked.
“I’m also happy for the players who celebrated their first cap at the Millenium, particularly George-Henri Colombe, who has been playing for Racing for a while and now for La Rochelle. I’m really pleased for them.”
The 25-year-old prop George-Henri Colombe made his mark right from his first cap. He is already being touted as the successor to Uini Atonio, with whom he plays at Stade Rochelais.
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“The quality of the players is there, as we see every weekend in the Top 14. Perhaps something didn’t go so well in the Six Nations Tournament that didn’t allow them to get the results everyone was expecting, but they were there,” says Teddy Thomas, who is full of praise for another player who made his mark in this tournament: scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec.
Dupont’s successor
“Little Nono… I met him at Racing. I clicked with him straight away. For me, he’s already a cracker on the pitch and during my career I’ve rarely seen crackers. He’s too strong technically. He arrived at the age of 17 and he was already talking into the forwards’ mouths and the forwards couldn’t stand him anymore.
“The 9s at the time spoke really badly. He spoke well but he was very bossy and that helped him get to the level he deserved to be at. I’m happy for him and I’m convinced that this is the start of great things for him.”
A performance that prompted former French international Jean-Baptiste Lafond to say: “Dupont, he can play rugby 7s for ten years, there’s no problem, there’s a replacement! One train can hide another.”
Unsurprisingly, Le Garrec has been returned with the XV de France for the final match of the Tournament against England in Lyon on Saturday 16 March. Thanks to the victory in Cardiff, the competition is back on track for Les Bleus, adding extra spice to this eagerly-awaited Crunch.
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“We couldn’t have hoped for a better finish,” smiles Teddy Thomas.
“I’ve done two or three crunches (in 2020 and 2021). I must have a ratio of more losses than wins (one win and one loss). These are special matches, France-England. You see them when you’re young and it’s the same rivalry on the pitch when you play them.
“They really are our sworn enemies. The English have some trash talk where they like to tease, they talk a lot, but that’s also their strength. But then, when you get to know them at club level, having played with a few English players, they’re not like that at all.
“They’re competitive, it’s part of their culture, you have to accept it. It’s part of the game. That’s what makes you want to play them and watch the game.”
“If they call me, I’ll be there”
Although he hasn’t played for almost three years, does the 30-year-old still see himself in blue one day?
“It’s still a goal for me, because it’s not pointless for me to say that I’d retire from international rugby. As long as I’m active and can perform, if I’m called up, I’ll be there, because it’s always a pleasure to wear the blue jersey,” he says.
“But I’m more towards the end of my career than the beginning. There are players in place who are really good every weekend. They’re part of a continuity until the World Cup in Australia. I’ll be 33 and I’ll be 34.
“They’re younger than me. You have to be realistic and say that there are guys who perform better than you, who are younger and fresher. I was in the same situation when I was 19, taking the place of older guys.
“I’m thinking about it because if there’s a need I’ll be there, but I’m not making it my priority like I did before.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments