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Antoine Dupont breaks silence on his Olympic Games sevens dream
The opportunity was too good to pass up. As he received the double distinction of best Top 14 player (with his club Stade Toulousain) and best French international player at the Nuit du Rugby awards on Monday, Antoine Dupont could not avoid being asked about his forthcoming commitment with the France sevens team as he bids to compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
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Having come up short as France’s leader at Rugby World Cup 2023, Dupont is desperate to be involved in the next big rugby global event on his home soil and will look to use the new HSBC SVNS Series to adapt to the shorter, fast-paced format of the game.
“We have been trying for several months, with the club, the federation and France sevens, to give me the opportunity and the resources to try and take part in these Olympic Games. I now hope to perform well and apply (make selection),” he explained.
“We are going to have to make some adjustments. I’m not going to be able to play every match, every weekend, until the end of the season. I’m going to have to make sacrifices to spend time with this team and get used to this special game and discipline.”
The transition from 15s to sevens will not be easy. Bryan Habana tried and failed to make the Blitzboks team for Rio 2016, and while All Blacks superstar Sonny Bill Williams got to go to Rio, he did not have as big an impact as many anticipated.
Antoine Dupont and Michael Hooper are both set to take part in the newly revamped sevens series, SVNS ? #rugby #HSBCSVNS #rugby7s pic.twitter.com/qrNCZfCNw1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 16, 2023
Even Dupont, arguably the biggest box-office star in rugby right now, has his doubts. “When I see the effort that this discipline requires, it’s going to take me some time to adapt, that’s for sure,” he admitted.
His coach at Stade Toulousain, Ugo Mola, doesn’t seem particularly worried: “It seems that if he plays with the qualities he has, he could be a valuable addition to this competition,” he said. “We all want Antoine Dupont to win trophies, but the World Cup has slipped under his nose. Let’s hope he wins a few with his club and maybe even one with the French sevens team.”
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France automatically qualified for the Paris Games as hosts but they would have qualified as of right anyhow after a fourth-place finish in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 standings. It was their best finish to date on the series and reflects the growing strength of the team. Dupont knows he will only make the final cut on merit.
“Antoine has a very rugby attitude, he doesn’t want to be dropped in. He knows that, in a rugby team, you earn your place,” agreed Florian Grill, president of the Federation Francaise de Rugby.
“If he makes it to the Games – and he has said he wants to – he will be a superb headliner, even if we will have to do without him for the Six Nations tournament. But, honestly, what a great image for rugby sevens and for the country. He’ll be an important standard-bearer.”
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has really fired Dupont’s imagination. “For any sports fan, the Olympics are still mythical. Hosting this event in France will be an incredible celebration, and to be in with a chance of winning an Olympic medal is a highly motivating challenge,” he said.
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To realise his goal, Dupont has had to adapt his schedule, but he insisted he will still feature for Stade Toulousain should they make the Top 14 play-offs. “I still have ambitions in 15s. I don’t want to retire from the sport just yet, don’t worry,” he said.
“I’ll be playing in the play-offs with Stade Toulousain, and I hope to be able to lift the Brennus Shield again. I can spend time with sevens but also keep my objectives with Stade Toulousain.”
- Click here for all the details about the new HSBC SVNS Series
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