Dupont set to return to training
Image: X/@SaffasRugby
Antoine Dupont cleared to play against Boks, but it doesn’t change anything
Dupont’s return to the French team won’t change Bok’s game plan.
Dupont set to return to training
Image: X/@SaffasRugby
France’s star scrumhalf, Antoine Dupont, sidelined since sustaining a facial bone fracture in a match against Namibia, has been cleared to play in the upcoming quarterfinal clash against South Africa. While Dupont’s presence is significant, the Springboks must remember that success in rugby is about more than one player’s prowess; it’s about the collective team effort.
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DUPONT THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD?
Antoine Dupont has been crafting a legacy in rugby with awards, trophies, and the admiration of fans as his main ingredients. With many solo titles, including the esteemed WR Player of the Year (2021), already on the mantle alongside his three Six Nations player titles (the most by a Frenchman). These accomplishments go hand in hand with his team titles, boasting three Top 14 titles, a European Champions Cup, and a Six Nations title. There is no doubt that the 26-year-old is a phenomenon for the French rugby team. As the future unfolds, there’s every reason to believe that we’ll witness him amassing even more silverware in his illustrious rugby career.
Et si le futur olympique d’Antoine Dupont se dessinait finalement dans le surf ? 😏 🏄♂️ #FinaleTOP14 pic.twitter.com/H9jsi6eHhj
— TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) June 21, 2023
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FRANCE ARE FAVOURITES
France are a great team even without captain and talisman Dupont at the helm. They have demonstrated their depth in this campaign, with Jalibert stepping up to fill the boots of first-choice 10 Romain Ntamack and Maxime Lucu playing his part for injured Dupont. This is evident by their undefeated run in the tournament so far defeating the All Blacks (27-13), Uruguay (27-12), Namibia (96-0), and Italy (60-7). They’re gearing up for a quarterfinal showdown with the reigning champs. France is often regarded as the best team to have never won a Rugby World Cup. They’ve been to the finals three times, but that shiny gold trophy has always eluded them. Can they pull off a stunt and topple the Boks, (the only team to have won a Rugby World Cup on French soil) and finally grab that elusive title?
Talk about end to end rugby!
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 4, 2023
Louis Bielle-Biarrey with the long-range finish 🔥#RWC2023 | #FRAvNAM pic.twitter.com/HKCfLeMvDG
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DUPONT’S PRESENCE CHANGES NOTHING
Antoine Dupont’s comeback doesn’t change anything for the Boks. with their focus firmly on the broader strategy. France, a formidable side, boasts a whole arsenal of threats beyond Dupont. Springbok scrum coach Daan Human sums it up well, saying,, “We will never concentrate on only one player, it’s more on the system and more on the whole team,” Human said. “You can get carried away if you concentrate on one guy and you’re missing the next guy. Dupont doesn’t have the best track record against the Boks with just one win coming in four encounters, yielding a win percentage of a modest 25%. Criticisms regarding Rugby South Africa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup victory being labeled as “too easy.” Should they beat the host nation France and go on to claim the ultimate prize this time around, it would leave no room for doubters to question the toughness of their journey to rugby glory and their claim as the best Rugby World Cup team of all time.
🗣 “I have never seen South Africa like this. We were playing for the people back home. We can achieve anything if we work together as one.”
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 2, 2019
Hear from @Springboks’s Siya Kolisi on what is not just a #RWCFinal win – It’s more than that 👏👏#RWC2019 #ENGvRSA #WebbEllisCup pic.twitter.com/qgfv0STIlr
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While Antoine Dupont’s return to the French lineup is significant, the Springboks should remain focused on their collective strengths and strategies. Success in rugby is not solely determined by one player, and to be the best, the Boks will have to be the best, there are no easy games in knockout games. Can the Boks spoil the party in Paris? Let us know in the comments below.
