Antoine Dupont opens up on France ‘difficulties’ as ‘too many obstacles’ prevent Six Nations win
Antoine Dupont dejected after France's Rugby World Cup elimination.
France superstar Antoine Dupont has addressed their disappointing Six Nations opener against Ireland.
The scrum-half was absent from the encounter as he concentrates on sevens ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Maxime Lucu was his replacement and the Bordeaux-Begles playmaker was criticised for his performance during the 38-17 defeat to the Irish.
He struggled under the pressure Andy Farrell’s men exerted as the 2022 Grand Slam champions succumbed to last year’s winners.
Willemse’s red
It was a surprisingly lacklustre display, even accounting for the first-half red card handed out to Paul Willemse for two dangerous hits.
Given the control Ireland exerted on the game, particularly at the breakdown and lineout, Dupont’s presence might have meant very little to the result, but there is no doubt the spark he brings to Les Bleus.
Despite being unavailable for the national team in the Six Nations, the French star has still featured for Toulouse over the past two weeks and was asked about the performance of Fabien Galthie’s outfit on Friday.
“Playing with 14 men at international level, we know how difficult it is,” he told Canal+ after Les Rouge et Noir’s victory over Bayonne.
“The Irish were very well prepared, and the step was too high, I think. We put too many obstacles in the way.”
France now face another tough challenge with an away match against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 10, but Dupont is confident that Galthie’s men can turn it around.
“I’m not worried, they’re a group with character and ambition and I’m sure they will raise their heads in the next match in Scotland,” he said.
Switch to sevens
Following Toulouse’s Top 14 victory over Bayonne, where Dupont was once again an influential figure, the 27-year-old will now join up with the France sevens side.
He will take part in the next two legs of the World Rugby SVNS series, which are being hosted in Vancouver (February 23-25) and Los Angeles (March 2-3) as he looks to get accustomed to the sport ahead of the Olympics.
“There’s a lot of excitement, a bit of worry too,” Dupont said. “It’s a really motivating challenge which I will approach in a studious way to learn first up and then quickly perform well.”
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