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XV of : At the heart of a controversy, Antoine Dupont breaks the silence

Thibault Morlain

Journalist

After trying different sports, Thibault turned to a career as an amateur footballer. When making a choice between becoming a professional footballer and a journalist, the qualities tipped the scales to one side. Here he is now in the editorial staff of 10 Sport, after a diploma obtained at the International Institute of Communication in .

On the sidelines of this fall tour of the XV of , Antoine Dupont received excellent news. Indeed, impressive during his time with the French rugby sevens team, the Stade Toulousain player is one of the 3 nominated for the title of best sevens player in the world in 2024. While this nomination caused a huge reaction and sparked some criticism, Antoine Dupont spoke.

Antoine Dupont wanted to take on an immense challenge in 2024: winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in rugby sevens. It was a great success since with theFrench team rugby sevens, the player of Stadiumwho had set aside the XV of France for several months, was crowned with his teammates, while winning prestigious tournaments with the Blues in the previous months. Impressive performance of Dupont in rugby 7s which earned him among the 3 nominated for the title of best world 7s player of the year alongside Terry Kennedy et Aaron Grandidier.

“It’s a lack of respect”

But now this appointment ofAntoine Dupont for this distinction made more than one cringe. The criticisms have also been numerous and the coach of theArgentine did not hesitate to express his dissatisfaction. “ I don't agree. He played two stages of the world tour, including one as a substitute. From the Vancouver tournament, they put him in the typical team. We started to worry. It's a lack of respect. (…) For two years, we (coaches) have no longer voted. They stopped asking us because we were voting for a player, without marketing criteria », had blurted out Santiago Gomez Cora.

“It’s always a pleasure to be nominated for this kind of award”

At a press conference this Thursday, Antoine Dupont reacted to this nomination for the title of best player in the world at 7. “ What do these distinctions represent? They always have meaning because it's always a pleasure and it's always a lot of pride to receive this kind of trophy, even if the ones we chase after are always the collective trophies, the ones that provide the most emotion. because they are shared with our teammates, with all the people who support us. But of course it's always nice to be nominated for this kind of award. », blurted out Antoine Dupont.

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