It’s almost a chimera, a myth. By talking about it without ever seeing it, we even wonder if we won’t end up giving it the name of the Arlesian. Him ?
It’s a duel. In this case the one between Antoine Dupont and Baptiste Couilloud. The two most explosive scrum halves in France for years and, dare we say it even if tastes vary, the two best number 9s in the country, too.
The English press hails Toulouse and Antoine Dupont, who ”orchestrated the beating inflicted on Exeter”The best, since man needs to compare and the two captains play in somewhat similar styles? Everyone will agree that with his most varied palette in the history of rugby, Antoine Dupont evolves on another planet. But if there is one capable of teasing him on the athletic aspects, which were for a long time his main strength, it is Couilloud.
Dynamitor par excellence, formidable test hunter and leader in extenso of this LOU team, “Titou” also remains quite a phenomenon. Who sooner or later, failing to reign internationally, will have a statue in his likeness in the city of lights, his playground for 27 years…
Nothingness since 2017
Coming back to the Arlesian, here is a stat: the two players have never faced each other directly and therefore as starters, since Dupont played in Toulouse. An eternity? To tell the truth, the one and only time that Toto and Titou fought a real duel was in April 2017, during Castres vs Lyon.
EDITORIAL. RUGBY. At 27, Baptiste Couilloud has definitely understood: the French XV is not made for him
Since then, the two particle accelerators have crossed paths numerous times in the French team, and have on occasion already been aligned on the same scoresheet, as against Australia, in 2023. They also briefly brushed against each other on a pitch during a match, sometimes, like at the end of 2021 or after the 2023 Tournament. But this time, Dupont entered at the opening.
What about this Sunday, for the Prime Time poster between Lyon and Toulouse? For a change, Antoine Dupont is on vacation in the United States while Baptiste Couilloud is still recovering from his sprained elbow contracted during the last day of Top 14…
So, once the disappointment has passed, we will place all our hopes on the return match scheduled for the end of May. Final reception of the season for Toulouse, which could therefore be tempted to align its talisman with Ernest-Wallon. May Lyon do the same that day…
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