Captain of the Blues, Antoine Dupont has media obligations. On the eve of the test match against Japan this Saturday, November 8 (9:10 p.m.) to open the fall tour, the Toulouse native was at a press conference.
“I’m not worried”
For his big return to Blue, Dupont will be associated with his club teammate Thomas Ramos. “He’s a different player from Romain (Ntamack)but in the gaming identity that we advocate in Toulouse and here, there are a lot of similarities. I'm not worried. It will go very well tomorrow”he assured.
“I was less comfortable at the beginning”
There is no doubt that things are going well because since his return to the game after an Olympic golden break at 7, Dupont has lost nothing and has “found certain things” that he had abandoned: the game of duels and the game in spaces in particular. “I was less comfortable at the beginninghe admitted. There’s also the whole ruck game. I had to focus on it and I think it helped me when I returned to XV”.
“We feel a new energy”
He now has one left « but ultime » to conquer: the 2027 World Cup. “We have the experience to tell ourselves that what we are working on today is with the aim of being efficient in three years. We feel a new energy, a new staff, quite a few new players who are almost starting to make us feel old”he quipped.
“I have a hard time conceiving of being average or not good”
Count on him to maintain the same level of demands and his thirst to win: “When I’m on the pitch, I want to win. I still have goals to achieve. I have a hard time conceiving of being average or not good, so I put all the necessary ingredients. »
READ ALSO. Hazing, captaincy, 2024 Olympics… Everything you need to know about the return of Antoine Dupont
“We have a public image to maintain”
Count on him too to put the house in order after a chaotic summer tour: “When we represent the French team, we know that we have a public image to maintain and responsibilities, whether on the field or off. » It has the merit of being clear.
