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The All Blacks know all too well the weight that Dupont must carry for France
By Ben Smith
There are very few players that possess the X-factor to manufacture individual brilliance on the pitch that allows them to reach superstardom status in the game of rugby.
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The type of players who shape the game and mesmerise fans, players who become icons whose feats are emulated by youngsters around the world.
The first of the professional era was the late Jonah Lomu, who changed the game with his feats at the 1995 World Cup and his memorable run over England fullback Mike Catt.
England’s poster boy Jonny Wilkinson and his metronomic kicking game propelled the flyhalf to superstar status in the early 2000s. His career-defining 2003 World Cup cemented his standing as the face of the game at the time.
The change of guard happened quickly when Dan Carter took Wilkinson’s crown during the 2005 British & Irish Lions series, starring in the 3-0 series victory for the All Blacks.
During their prime athletic years, through the mid-to-late 20s, the game’s superstars may get the chance at one or two World Cups while at the peak of their powers.
Antoine Dupont is that player right now as he prepares for his second Rugby World Cup campaign at 26-years-old.
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In 2019 he should have been starting in Japan but wasn’t.
Jacques Brunel held on to the older halves pair Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez through pool play, before turning to Dupont and Romain Ntamack for the quarter-final against Wales.
Despite that key crunch game, it wasn’t officially Dupont’s team yet nor was he given the full World Cup stage by France.
Four years later he has become the game’s outright superstar since France’s rather lacklustre campaign in Japan.
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He’s the best player in the world in terms of skill level and ability, no player can produce the plays that Dupont is capable of. For club and country, he has proven so.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup is Dupont’s time to shine and capture the global spotlight as the world’s best player, starting with a crunch game against the All Blacks.
It would be fitting for Dupont to bring the first William Webb Ellis trophy to France, but history shows the showpiece event has not been kind to the game’s superstar.
For 20-year-old Lomu in 1995, after steamrolling England with four tries in the semi-final with an all-time performance, it would end in heartbreak in the final against South Africa as Joel Stransky hit a drop goal in extra time.
Lomu was kept under control by a tight South African defence as the high-flying All Blacks failed to score a try in the 15-12 loss.
Four years later Lomu returned to the stage at 24-years-old and powered through opponents with a try or more in every single game at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Against France in the semi-final he produced two tries, the first of which defies belief. But the French would mount a comeback and shock the All Blacks by 43-31.
The most iconic player in Rugby World Cup history never lifted the trophy in the two events he dominated.
In 2007 it was 25-year-old Carter’s time to shine.
He had ascended into the No 10 jersey after replacing Carlos Spencer, and dazzled with a game considered to be the complete package. He could run, he could step, he could fend, he could kick. He had the ball on a string and the vision to match.
Expectations were high for the All Blacks who had lost just once in 2005, once in 2006 and once leading into the 2007 campaign with Carter at the helm.The All Blacks blitzed through pool play and drew world number two France in the quarter-final.
With the moment finally arriving, the pressure was crushing for the All Blacks. Carter’s night was cut short with a calf injury. As he limped off the field, he watched France march down the field and score through Thierry Dusautoir for a game-changing try.
Right before that moment, the first five made a telling play when he attempted a snap drop goal from well over 40 metres out. It was uncalled for at the time, early into the second half with the All Blacks in the lead. It was a low percentage play, even for Carter, and no one else on his team seemed to realise it was coming.
It was the kind of off-script play that showed panic. The frustrated grimace on Carter’s face as the ball sailed nowhere the posts revealed as much.
From the ensuing 22 metre restart Carter’s injury occurred when he made a cover tackle after France regathered the short drop kick.
In the space of 30 seconds his World Cup turned into a nightmare and France would register a famous 20-18 victory in the quarter-final.
The All Blacks would make amends in 2011, but without the injured Carter, while in 2015 he finally walked off a World Cup winner with crucial performances against South Africa and Australia in the semi-final and final.
But Carter’s best World Cup did not come in the prime of his career when many predicted.
Beauden Barrett became the game’s most influential player immediately after Carter’s retirement. The Taranaki-product exploded to global stardom in 2016 when he grabbed the opportunity to play No 10 for the All Blacks.
He won back-t0-back World Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017 and earned another nomination in 2018, blitzing the rugby world with try-scoring panache.
His speed was the cornerstone of a running game that tore teams apart, combined with the instinctual gift of premonition, Barrett had a knack for pulling rabbits out of a hat.
Prime Beauden Barrett was on another level to everyone else, but as the 2019 World Cup approached the All Blacks bailed on the idea of Barrett as a 10 just as he was coming to the tail end of his athletic best at 28.
Mo’unga took the reins and Barrett was forced to play fullback, a ploy that was widely considered a failure at the time for its lack of chemistry.
Despite the troubles, Barrett produced two man-of-the-match performances over South Africa in pool play and against Ireland in the quarter-final to help the team into the semi-final.
Against England they were walloped, Mo’unga was targetted in defence and Barrett wasn’t really able to stamp a mark on the game from the back.
The only superstar player in the professional era to get the job done in his prime at the World Cup is Jonny Wilkinson. He was just 24 when he kicked England to an extra-time victory with a drop goal off his wrong foot in 2003.
So maybe it’s just a problem for New Zealanders, but the All Blacks know very well the weight that Dupont must carry for France during this World Cup.
It can prove to be a very heavy burden for the game’s superstar.
