Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

Sport

Sport

Stade de France redemption for Dupont after RWC 2023 heartbreak

Stade de France redemption for Dupont after RWC 2023 heartbreak
Antoine Dupont scores a try during the Men’s Rugby Sevens Pool C Group match between France and Uruguay on Day -2 of the 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris on 24 July 24. (Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
Craig Ray
By Craig Ray
28 Jul 2024
Facebook
1
Antoine Dupont, rugby’s best player for the past five years, underlined his greatness by steering France to the gold medal.

 In the immediate aftermath of France’s cutting 29-28 loss to the Springboks in the quarterfinals of Rugby World Cup 2023 at Stade de France in Saint Denis, Les Bleus captain Antoine Dupont was shattered.

Sitting in the obligatory media conference following the match, the little general had a 1,000-yard stare. His eyes, one of them still bruised from a broken cheekbone sustained earlier in the tournament, were glazed and hollow.

As the questions came and the reality continued to set in that France’s golden generation of players had been denied by South Africa’s own golden era of Boks, Dupont became petulant.

He questioned the standard of refereeing, looking for anyone and anything to blame to ease the pain. Coach Fabien Galthié, understanding that Dupont’s comments were being made by a man in no fit mental state to be analytical about the game, interjected and took the tension out of the moment.

New plan


Antoine DuPont medal Antoine Dupont of Team France celebrates with his gold medal on the podium during the Men’s Rugby Sevens medal ceremony on day one of the 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris, France, on 27 July 2024. (Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)



Antoine Dupont RWC 2023 Antoine Dupont looks dejected at full-time after France’s defeat in the Rugby World Cup France 2023 quarterfinal match between France and South Africa at Stade de France in Paris, France, on 15 October 2023. (Photo: Hannah Peters / Getty Images)



Dupont left the tournament and France the next day. He went to Bali on a holiday, not hanging around to see who would win the Webb Ellis Cup that was pre-ordained to be France’s.

While easing his body and mind on the balmy shores of Southeast Asia, an idea flickered. The Olympics. In Paris. It could be the tonic to erase the hurt of RWC 2023. Compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics as part of the French team in the sevens.

It was outrageous and audacious but on Saturday, the plan, underpinned by support of the French Rugby Federation and his club Toulouse was justified.

Dupont and France won the gold medal, beating sevens powerhouse Fiji 28-7 in the final to inflict a first-ever Olympic defeat on islanders in their third Olympics.

Not only did France win, but Dupont starred all through the tournament. He was inspirational in the semifinal against South Africa, playing from the bench to guide his team to a 19-5 win. Using the great man from the bench was the tactic throughout the tournament.

In the final, with the game in the balance, it was Dupont’s introduction that shifted the momentum the way of Les Bleus and sent the vocal 69,000 in Stade de France into raptures.

The scores were locked at 7-7 early in the second half when Dupont was introduced. With his first touch of the ball, he evaded the defence against the touchline and made vital ground before offloading to Aaron Grandidier Nkanang for France’s second try.

It split the game open and with Dupont pulling the strings he scored twice before the end – once barging over from close which sealed the gold, and then after the hooter with a quick tap penalty.

Redemption


Antoine Dupont Olympics 2024 Antoine Dupont scores a try during the Men’s Rugby Sevens Pool C Group match between France and Uruguay on Day -2 of the 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Paris on 24 July 24. (Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)



The crowd were in raptures – many of them would have watched Dupont’s personal despair nine months previously.

They understood the significance, because not only did they witness an unlikely gold for a team that was hardly a sevens powerhouse and had not even qualified for the event in Tokyo three years earlier.

They also saw redemption, and an exorcism of ghosts for their favourite rugby son and the world’s best player.

For years Dupont has been widely regarded as the greatest player in fifteens, but to change codes, re-learn techniques and skills required for sevens and recondition his body for the different aerobic demands of the shorter version of the game, underlined his brilliance.

He sacrificed playing the Six Nations to learn and gain experience in sevens with France in the World SVNS series. France even won a tournament in Los Angeles – the first time in 19 years on the global sevens circuit.

In Los Angeles, Dupont was playing in only his second tournament, having debuted a week earlier in Vancouver, where France came third. It was an early signal of his class as a player and his influence as the grand icon of French rugby.

And at the Stade de France on 26 July, there was atonement and relief.

“When I came the first day I wondered what I was doing here, if I made the choice to not play the Six Nations was the good one,” Dupont sai,d after winning the gold.

“But the atmosphere tonight was amazing, not common for us, and we had to embrace it.

“The team spirit was remarkable tonight. I’ve rarely heard such an atmosphere here in Stade de France. They made a lot of noise and we had to give them back, to put this Olympics on the right rails.”

Nine months after the biggest sporting disaster of his life, Dupont was deservedly on top of the world again. DM

Categories:

Tags: