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‘Not even the best halfback’: Kiwi dismisses Antoine Dupont GOAT talk
By Finn Morton
New Zealand sports commentator Tony Johnson has dismissed the popular debate that Antoine Dupont is the greatest rugby player of all time by arguing the point that the Frenchman isn’t “even the best halfback” the world has ever seen.
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Dupont etched his name into rugby folklore last weekend with a Player of the Match performance in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympic Games. The 27-year-old scored two tries and set up another to lead France to a 28-7 win over Fiji at Stade de France.
That was the latest in a long string of mesmerising and historic performances from the former World Rugby 15s Player of the Year. This year alone, Dupont has led Toulouse to Champions Cup and Top 14 titles, and also France to championship glory on the SVNS Series.
What Dupont has been able to do in both 15s and sevens this year is nothing short of legendary. Others including Bryan Habana, Ardie Savea and Michael Hooper have tried to bring their respective skillsets to sevens but have ultimately fallen short of greatness.
Fans and some pundits have suggested that Dupont is now the ‘GOAT’ in rugby union after winning that gold medal at the Paris Games. They would suggest that Dupont has eclipsed the likes of Dan Carter, Johnny Wilkinson and the late Jonah Lomu.
But Sky Sport commentator Tony Johnson has strongly hit back at those claims by comparing Dupont to what Carter was able do with the All Blacks in their run to glory at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and what former Wales halfback Gareth Edwards achieved with the Lions.
“Dupont’s not even the best halfback of all-time, let alone the greatest player,” the well-known New Zealand rugby commentator said on SENZ’s Afternoons with Staffy.
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“He’s a hell of a player. You could put up an argument that right now he is the best player in the world – Ardie Savea fans might see differently, but on current form, what he’s done, what he’s achieved.
“He hasn’t won a World Cup, hasn’t won a match in the southern hemisphere. Yeah, he’s won a few Six Nations and yeah, he’s a hell of a good player, but the teams that they had, he was the leading light in… quite differently the best World Cup team, or team that France have ever had, in terms of being equipped to win a World Cup and what happened to them?
“Yes, he influences matches but could he influence a game in the way that Dan Carter influenced the All Blacks?
“In terms of the halfback, Gareth Edwards played in two (British and Irish) Lions teams that won in the southern hemisphere for the first time.
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“I just think it’s one of those arguments that people either get a bit too excited in the moment or they just put it out there because they know it’s going to create a debate and lots of clicks.”
But that doesn’t take away from Dupont’s greatness. What the Frenchman has achieved in rugby at just 27 years of age is incredible, and he hopefully still has a long career ahead of him at least in the 15s format.
By leading France to Paris Olympics glory, Dupont has achieved something that almost transcends sport. The Les Bleus 15s captain was an icon and hero for many during last year’s Rugby World Cup and that’s carried through to Olympics glory.
As reported by RugbyPass’ Josh Raisey a couple of days ago, fans packed the stands at Trocadero Gardens at the foot of the Eiffel Tower as the French sevens players paraded their medals at Champions Park on Monday.
“This is unheard of. For rugby sevens, it’s a superb showcase. The atmosphere was crazy. It’s incredible and super powerful,” coach Jerome Daret said, as translated by Google.
“We went looking for gold in Los Angeles, we found the vein and we exploited it in Madrid with the title of world champion and now that of Olympic champion. It’s awesome and powerful!
“I have difficulty understanding everything that has happened since the final whistle. The players were incredible. The staff also who created a crazy journey, relying on very high-quality consultants.
“It’s a whole package to perform and everything has been beneficial. It’s a war machine.”
