By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
Icon of the French XV and of world rugby, Serge Blanco continues to follow the performances of the selection he represented so much, now led by Antoine Dupont. He also did not at all like certain comments made by the latter.
Thierry Dusautoir, Fabien Galthié, Raphaël Ibañez, Fabien Pelous, Jean-Pierre Rives… There are many players who have marked the history of the French rugby team. Few of them, however, can consider having had as much of an impact and left a mark similar to that of Serge Blanco. However, one man seems well on his way to achieving this given the exploits he has already achieved, namely Antoine Dupont.
At only 27 years old, the Toulouse scrum half is already considered the best player in the world, even one of the best in the history of his sport. Testimonials from international oval legends in any case go in this direction. But while his game is enough to seduce any observer, his sometimes unfiltered speeches can earn him reprisals.
Serge Blanco's strong tackle on Antoine Dupont
In 2023, following the elimination of France in the quarter-finals of a World Cup played at home, Dupont made some criticisms at a press conference… about the refereeing:
Antoine Dupont : I don't want to be angry and complain about the referee because he lost the match, but I'm not sure that the refereeing was up to the challenge today.
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An opinion that many French people shared at the time and continue to support today, unlike… Serge Blanco. Questioned a few days later by Le Figarothe former tricolor glory had for its part condemned this speech:
Serge Blanco : I hope this is just a temporary crisis. It is imperative to reconnect with the concept of the referee who is always right. We cannot always blame others to explain a failure.
So, even if he admits to having also had a grudge against Ben O'Keeffe at the end of the meeting, the legendary back of the XV of France quickly gained perspective regarding the situation. And according to him, it was not the refereeing decisions that cost the Blues victory:
Serge Blanco : It was not the referee who missed the aerial balls and who was blocked against the Springboks, as far as I know. I am like you, chauvinist, and I too have even complained like a thief against certain decisions taken. But the next morning, I realized we had missed things and not done what we needed to do to get through.
Let's hope that Dupont and his partners have reached the same conclusion and will use this as a lesson in future international competitions.
Frustrated by the refereeing of the famous quarter-final lost against South Africa in 2023, Antoine Dupont did not curry favor with Serge Blanco by openly railing against Ben O'Keeffe. Not sure if we will take it again anytime soon.
