Toulouse's Scotland utility playmaker unfazed by teammate's return
PREVIEW: Toulouse utility back Blair Kinghorn is totally unfazed regarding teammate Antoine Dupont’s return ahead of Toulouse’s Top 14 trip to Pau.
Dupont made a stunning comeback after coming off the bench five minutes into the second-half and bagging a hat-trick of tries in the space of nine minutes.
His hat-trick heroics helped Ugo Mola’s aide to move up to second in the Top 14 standings as the champions hammered Clermont in the process.
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“I wasn’t surprised at all, I don’t think anything surprises anyone anymore,” Kinghorn told reporters on Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s trip to Pau.
“It’s good to have him back. He’s had a massive year, so it’s nice for him to have a bit of down time.
“It’s now back to work, enough travelling around for him,” he added with a smile.
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Having joined Toulouse in December 2023, Kinghorn has tasted immediate success with his new side – as Toulouse went on to do the double and bag a record 23rd Top 14 title and a leading sixth Champions Cup.
The defending champions have not been at their best and has looked sluggish this season – with four wins out of six matches which includes back-to-back losses to Castres and Bordeaux-Begles.
“The first three games we won but didn’t play our best,” said Kinghorn, who also comfortable on the wing and at flyhalf.
“Losing two on the bounce was going to come because we weren’t playing that well.
“We had a good performance on the weekend.
“Hopefully that’s the start of our season and we can put out our game on the field because it’s been a bit slow for our standards,” he added.
Following the clash with Pau and two more league matches – Kinghorn’s attention will switch to Scotland’s November Test series.
He will sit out their opening match against Fiji on November 2 as it clashes with Toulouse’ Top 14 match against Bayonne but Kinghorn will be available for Scotland’s remaining Tests against World Champions South Africa, Portugal and Australia.
Scotland’s hopes has been boosted following Glasgow Warriors’ success in the United Rugby Championship against the Bulls away from home – their first league Final since 2019.
“It’s only going to be good for the national team having players who have had a taste of success in big games,” Kinghorn said.
“For a long time that wasn’t the case.
“Hopefully for the next campaign it will be good,” he added.
Kinghorn’s focus is completely on their away match against Pau before the international break.
Pau’s Stade du Hameau has been sold-out for the upcoming clash since Monday, with the prospect of Dupont’s presence.
“Anywhere you go in French rugby the cities and towns love their teams, they get right behind it,” Kinghorn said.
“Is it an addition to the spectacle having the best players coming? Potentially but most of the time the cities love their teams.”
The upcoming Top 14 weekend will be a final opportunity for French players to impress France head coach Fabien Galthie before he names his squad next week for their November Tests against Japan, New Zealand and Argentina.
