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La seule fois où Antoine Dupont a joué dans l’hémisphère Sud

Le Sud-Africain Coenie Oosthuizen (C) est plaqué par le Français Antoine Dupont alors qu'il marque un essai lors du test-match entre l'Afrique du Sud et la France au Kingspark rugby stadium, le 17 juin 2017 à Durban. / AFP PHOTO / ANESH DEBIKY (Le crédit photo doit se lire ANESH DEBIKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Il fut un temps où Antoine Dupont n’était pas le plus grand joueur au monde et l’incontournable qu’il est devenu au fil des ans. En 2017, c’était le cas.

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Cette année-là, le jeune demi de mêlée de Castres (attendu la saison suivante à Toulouse), vit tout juste ses premières sélections en équipe de France sous l’égide de Guy Novès. Il n’a que 20 ans et figure déjà depuis un an sur la liste développement de 30 joueurs de moins de 23 ans à fort potentiel qui intéresse le XV de France.

Appelé en dernière minute pour remplacer Machenaud

« On suit ce jeune demi de mêlée depuis la saison dernière », explique alors le sélectionneur qui l’a appelé en dernière minute pour remplacer Maxime Machenaud, blessé.

« On attend qu’il joue avec ses qualités, avec son insouciance, même si on lui a fait passer quelques messages. Mais il ne peut pas tout ingurgiter en quarante-huit heures…»

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Son premier match est une victoire contre l’Italie dans le Tournoi des Six Nations (18-40) où il remplace Baptiste Serin pour les six dernières minutes. Il jouera un peu plus longtemps la semaine suivante contre le Pays de Galles où il entre en jeu à la 19e minute, toujours à la place de Serin. Ce match remporté 20-18 est encore aujourd’hui considéré comme l’un des plus importants entre les deux équipes. Déjà, Dupont entre dans la légende.

67 minutes de jeu au niveau international

A ce moment-là, Antoine Dupont n’a que 67 minutes de temps de jeu au niveau international quand Novès le retient pour sa tournée en Afrique du Sud où trois matchs sont prévus contre les Springboks. Dupont l’admet en conférence de presse, il arrive « encore un peu sur la pointe des pieds » dans cette grande équipe.

Mais cette fois, il arrive mieux préparé. « Je n’en suis qu’à mes débuts, je suis en phase de découverte », déclare-t-il en toute humilité. « Je n’ai pas de problème à annoncer, parler sur le terrain. Mais lors des réunions, des séances vidéo, je ne vais pas me mettre en avant. Déjà ce n’est pas ma nature, et ce n’est pas à moi de le faire ici. »

Dupont ne disputera qu’un seul test, le deuxième le 17 juin au Kings Park Stadium de Durban. Une fois encore il est remplaçant de Baptiste Serin (sanctionné pour être passé à côté de son match) et entre à la 56e minute de jeu. Au cours de ces 24 minutes où il se confronte notamment à Siya Kolisi, le futur champion du monde, il ne pourra pas inverser la courbe de la défaite qui se profile (37-15).

Jeu déprimant

La presse juge le jeu des Français « déprimant ». « Les joueurs de Guy Novès ont certes tenu le ballon mais leurs attaques ont manqué de vitesse, de génie, d’imagination, de créativité. Les Tricolores ont tapé sur le mur sud-africain, sans réellement le faire bouger », écrit le Midi Olympique.

« Ressorts cassés, les Français subissaient dans les rucks en allant trop vite au sol, ne franchissaient pas, jouaient devant la défense, flanchaient en mêlée et encaissaient deux buts de pénalité », commente L’Équipe.

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Seule satisfaction, la performance du jeune Damian Penaud (20 ans), alors trois-quarts centre, qui vit là sa première titularisation. Le remontage de bretelles du président Laporte sitôt être descendu de l’avion le matin même n’a pas servi d’électrochoc. C’est dans cette ambiance de fin de règle que va éclore Antoine Dupont.

Le retour à Durban, huit ans après

Cette tournée sera fatale à Guy Novès qui sera poussé vers la sortie par Laporte en fin d’année après avoir essuyé d’autres échecs à Paris et notamment un humiliant match nul face au Japon en novembre.

Personne ne le sait encore, mais ces quelques minutes seront les seules que Dupont aura joué dans l’hémisphère Sud… jusqu’à probablement le 11 janvier 2024 où le Stade Toulousain affrontera les Hollywoodbets Sharks dans le même stade, huit ans après et où il pourrait être aligné.

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Hormis la Coupe du Monde de Rugby au Japon en 2019, Antoine Dupont n’a en fait jamais joué en dehors de l’Europe et c’est justement ce point qui est discuté par ceux qui lui contestent son statut de GOAT. Absent des tournées estivales du fait de la présence de Toulouse dans les phases finales du Top 14, son expérience internationale s’est toujours concentrée en France, en Italie et au Royaume-Uni.

Et la prochaine fois avec le XV de France pourrait bien être à l’occasion de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby 2027 en Australie.

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Visionnez gratuitement le documentaire en cinq épisodes “Chasing the Sun 2” sur RugbyPass TV (*non disponible en Afrique), qui raconte le parcours des Springboks dans leur quête pour défendre avec succès leur titre de Champions du monde de rugby

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RedWarriors 41 minutes ago
France's Peato Mauvaka cited for yellow-carded Ben White incident

Here is his testimony on Ntamack written decision showing he (and Ntamack) knew exactly the difference between that case and Ringrose (red card before a fallow week yes/no). They also knew the only player to benefit from such a situation was Willemse in 2024.

https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/discipline

“It is a quirk of the Six Nations that there are two fallow weeks where players can be released back to their clubs. Establishing that a player was “expected to play” for his club in the first fallow week is very difficult in the context of red cards / citations following Six Nations match week 1 fixtures. The biggest variable – performance in match week 2 – is not yet known, and without that information France Men’s Head Coach cannot say definitively (nor is he required to say under the terms of the FFR / LNR Agreement) whether after match week 1 a player would have been designated for the first fallow week. The “expected to play” wording requires a great deal of speculation in the context of a Six Nations match week 1 fixture so far as it concerns France players”

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MS 2 hours ago
Why Blair Kinghorn should be nailed on as the Lions starting 15

I can see arguments for both Kinghorn, and Keenan starting for the Lions. But I’m less convinced by some of the claims (clearly partisan) supporters are using to argue the merits of one over the other.


For example, a number of Ireland supporters have suggested Kinghorn is ‘defensively weak’. That’s patently false - or at least on the evidence of this 6N, he’s certainly no weaker there than Keenan is, who is presumably the comparative standard they’re using. Keenan was both shrugged off in contact, and beaten on the edge for pace, a number of times during this competition.


Equally, Scotland supporters arguing Kinghorn is the more capable ‘rugby player’ seem to have overlooked the (frankly sizeable) body of evidence demonstrating that Keenan is an excellent ball in hand distributor and decision maker. So that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny either.


I don’t think there’s all that much to choose between them, and either would be a strong choice. I think it would be really interesting from a pure rugby perspective to see Keenan playing a ‘Scotland-esque’ style of high tempo attacking rugby. Either coming into the line more routinely as first receiver, or being swung as a pendulum and getting the ball on the edge against a stretched defence.


That’s assuming Andy Farrell goes that route, of course. He may well just opt for his Ireland system instead, and populate it with the likes of Henshaw, Ringrose, Lowe and Keenan. I’m sure that would win the series. Quite what effect it might have on a Lions audience who were expecting something other than ‘Ireland on tour, but wearing red’ would remain to be seen.


As for the debate at FB, the only ‘eye test’ difference I feel exists is in the pace of rugby Kinghorn (Toulouse? Scotland?) tends to play. His passing/offload game feels crisper and higher tempo than Keenan’s - and as we saw in Paris, his pace and eye for a gap from deep are superior.


But again, that will only prove a decisive factor if Andy Farrell wants to play that way. If all he wants from his FB is to sit deep, field high balls, and mop up then there’s little between these two equally excellent players.

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