Unsurprisingly, Antoine Dupont made a successful return with the French XV, an easy winner over Japan (52-12) in his first match of the fall tour.
To be honest, no one was really worried. Antoine Dupont made a successful return with the XV of France, he who had abandoned these Blues in the first months of 2024 to win an Olympic gold medal in rugby 7.
For his first match with Fabien Galthié's men since the 2023 World Cup, casually, the French captain led his men to a quiet success against Japan (52-12). Following the momentum of his last matches with Toulouse, Dupont was good, without being perfect, which earned him a rating of 7/10 in L'Equipe.
“There were a few errors or indulgences, and even a foul on the ground, but that weighs almost nothing compared to the rest, sums up everyday life. The shift at the start of the first try, the penalty quickly played on the second, the break on the sixth, the small runs which open up spaces around the rucks, like on Gros' try, the “one-two” with Mauvaka… All this is him, in his usual role of leader-detonator. Also note his defensive contribution, particularly in coverage. »
Dupont: “A more than positive copy”
Rugbyrama for its part gave it a 7.5/10, retaining its few small errors at the start of the match, which were quickly erased.
“If he had a little waste, he has already put his mark on this XV of France”writes the specialized site.
True to form, Antoine Dupont mainly spoke about his team rather than his own performance. “I have been waiting for this moment for several weeks already. This evening there was desire, appetite and pleasure, above all, he told the press. When we take the score, there is always relaxation behind. I found us consistent despite the score and defensively, we always responded well to their offensive animation. We were in place offensively and in the physical dimension, we were dominant. The copy is more than positive. »
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