All Blacks’ hilarious Antoine Dupont request when asked how they will stop ‘fantastic’ France captain
France captain Antoine Dupont will be one to watch against the All Blacks.
All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen offered a hilarious response when he was asked by the media how they plan to stop France captain Antoine Dupont on Saturday.
The superstar scrum-half has starred in both XVs and sevens in recent seasons, winning silverware both on a team and personal level, including Olympic Gold.
Now back playing for Les Bleus and after producing an impressive performance against Japan last weekend, Dupont is poised to take on New Zealand in Paris.
‘Great for the game’
Hansen was speaking to the press at an All Blacks training session and was quizzed about the talented number nine and how they plan to stop the France skipper.
“Ask the coach not to play him,” he quipped in a response met with laughter before he lauded Dupont and what he brings, not just to his teams but to the sport.
“He’s fantastic, he’s great for the game.
“His love and passion for the game, you want to see him on the field. You want to see superstars. It’s what grows the game. It’s what makes young girls and boys want to play rugby and we want to see him play.”
New Zealand are without Sam Cane and Mark Tele’a for the clash but have been bolstered by the return of some of their All Blacks XV players at training this week.
“The boys coming in this week have given us a nice energy boost,” Hansen added.
“They’ve had an outstanding time with the All Blacks XV and all the feedback from that environment has been outstanding.
“It’s great to have a couple of faces back in and they just immersed themself so well in the environment.”
Scott Robertson’s side have enjoyed an impressive year-end tour thus far, beating England and Ireland in successive weekends off the back of a win over Japan.
Build through the week
Hansen was asked how they plan to replicate their recent performances after such arduous Tests in Twickenham and Dublin, and revealed that it’s a gradual process.
“You build your energy through the week,” said the All Blacks assistant coach. “It’s a massive occasion and challenge here in Paris against an outstanding team.
“We just focus in on our game and build our week, like we did today and we embrace the challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”
READ MORE: France v All Blacks: Les Bleus rocked by injury to key star ahead of Rugby World Cup rematch
