Antoine Dupont: France captain hails ‘precise’ Shaun Edwards and his influence on their Six Nations success

France captain and talismanic leader Antoine Dupont believes Shaun Edwards’ influence as a defensive coach is crucial to his side after claiming their first Grand Slam in 12 years.

Edwards has been key to Les Bleus’ resurgence, with the former Wales coach coming in following the 2019 World Cup and adding a steel alongside their attacking brilliance.

Massive defensive effort

It resulted in a first title since 2010 as they defeated England with Dupont putting in a superb individual effort in the finale, especially without the ball, as he completed 15 tackles.

That, however, has not yet been fully recognised by France‘s defence guru with one coveted prize continuing to elude the scrum-half.

“We’ve not had our debrief yet so I’ve not been able to get it, but I hope that at our next meet-up, I will. He’s not wanted to give me the award for best defender so far since he’s been with us!” Dupont told the Independent.

Having won three Grand Slams with Wales, Edwards’ tally is now up to four and Dupont has enjoyed working with the Englishman.

“Shaun is precise on what he wants and knows exactly what he wants on the pitch. With his experience and his record, everyone listens,” Dupont said.

“You could see the very start that he gave the scrum-half a relatively free role, and they would get a lot of interceptions. That is what I used to do a lot but now he has changed his view on it, and I defend a bit wider out, maybe in the style of a centre which gives us an extra three-quarter in the defensive line.”

The French are favourites for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in their backyard and have won eight games on the bounce.

Dupont took over the captaincy from the injured Charles Ollivon and said he took English lessons to help his approach to referees.

“I think we have gained in maturity and experience. It’s almost the same team as two years ago so we have learned a lot over the last two campaigns,” he added.

“On the whole, we were, and still are, a young team that is building. Going from there, you learn every day and some of those games in the Six Nations, we might not have won in previous years or not in the same way.”

READ MORE: Former England scrum-half Danny Care calls for coach Eddie Jones to trust his players