French star set to return to Test arena

SPOTLIGHT: France superstar Antoine Dupont is set to make his return to the Test scene on Saturday for the first time since France’s heartbreaking home World Cup quarterfinal exit at the hands of the eventual champion Springboks.

In the 13 months since that agonising loss, Dupont has played an instrumental role for the France Sevens outfit to claim Olympic gold as well as claiming a Top 14 and Champions Cup double with Toulouse.

The 27-year-old is set to captain France against Japan at the Stade de France on Saturday where he claimed Olympic success to banish most of the hurt from the World Cup defeat.

“It was an important objective for him to able to play in the Olympic Games,” France loose forward Francois Cros told reporters on Wednesday.

“It was something incredible for him and French rugby,” Dupont’s club teammate added.

Already a national icon, the Olympic victory took Dupont’s status to an international level.

Following the games, Dupont went on holiday to the USA, meeting NBA legend LeBron James and Argentina football icon Lionel Messi as well as visiting the training setup of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

“Since he’s come back, after having a good break, he’s better than what he was before,” Cros said.

“So it’s obviously a pleasure to have him back.”

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In his first 15’s match since the Olympics, Dupont scored a nine-minute hat-trick for Toulouse against Clermont before two more eye-catching performances against Pau and Toulon.

In his three Top 14 appearances, he has showcased his acceleration and support play which is two key aspects of sevens.

“I think it’s opened him up a bit more, even if he didn’t really need to open up further rugby-wise,” Cros said.

“He saw a new type of game with new skills he was able to develop.

“I think Antoine has the ability, whatever the situation, to find the gap and the key, it’s his strong point.”

Cros and Dupont have been teammates for almost a decade, while Lyon’s Test lock Mickael Guillard is having his first taste of the nuggety scrumhalf back at training.

The only time Guillard has faced the 2022 World Rugby player of the year was in January’s Top 14 league match, when Dupont scored a try in Toulouse’s 45-0 rout of Lyon.

“I can’t wait to be able to play with him as I’ve played against him and it hurt!” Guillard joked on Wednesday.

“He’s the best No.9, if not player, in the world,” he added.

For the Nations series campaign, which also includes a fixture against New Zealand on November 16 and Argentina the following Friday, Dupont has been reinstalled as captain.

Gregory Alldritt was the stand-in captain during the Six Nations and Baptiste Serin wore the armband during July’s scandal-hit tour of Argentina.

“The question didn’t even need to be asked, it’s natural to us for him to be captain,” Cros said.

“Since he’s come back his standards have been the same if not better, there was no doubt about that subject.”