Top 14 – Author of… 31 assists this season, how Antoine Dupont makes his partners shine

He is chasing records. Or the records are chasing him. As you wish. If Antoine Dupont already has nothing more to prove on the oval planet, the scrum half of the France team nevertheless always finds a new way to impress the gallery. Over the years, the former Castres has continued to expand his game to become, without chauvinism, one of the most complete players of the 21st century.. Above all, and specialists agree, he manages to raise the level of his teammates with each appearance, by making them play, but also by making them score, thanks to one of his major assets: the pass. Author of ten tries this season, it is his number of assists that is most striking.

As a symbol, against Stade Rochelais last Friday, in the Top 14 semi-final, the captain of the XV of France masterfully guided his team to victory by delivering a hat-trick of assists in forty minutes. One for Blair Kinghorn on the left and two for Juan Cruz Mallía on the right, propelling his total this season to the astronomical number of 31 assists in 25 matches in rugby union. 1.24 on average per appearance. Mind-boggling.

A perfect adaptation to defense

If Antoine Dupont makes his partners score so much, it’s good because he has a passing skill that is out of the ordinary. It is no exaggeration to consider the Toulouse player as one of the players with the best vision of the game at the moment. The number 9 is capable of varying his game at any time in front of the defense, and this is perfectly reflected in his assists.

If we analyze his 31 offerings, 15 of them are decisive passes by carrying the ball and fixing the defense as much as possible to transmit the leather in an interval (as for Arthur Retière against Cardiff during the first day of Champions Cup), 10 of them are “laser” passes, where Dupont very quickly ejects the ball from the ruck to find his winger and create a gap which leads to the test (as for Lucas Tauzin against Clermont during the 8th day of Top 14), and finally 6 are passes with the foot, for the most part precise (as for Juan Cruz Mallía against Bayonne during the 14th day of Top 14). A technical mastery of the pass and a significant range of play which allows him to always be unpredictable.

Antoine Dupont has shared his offerings with many players since the start of the season last August. The native of Castelnau-Magnoac delivered 8 with the French team (Summer Series and World Cup) and 23 with Stade Toulouse (Top 14 and Champions Cup). In total, he had 16 different partners score, with the player he gets on best with being Thomas Ramos, for whom he provided four assists. Two by hand and two by foot.

8 more under the colors of France 7

Antoine Dupont never seems satisfied, and he did not wait very long to adapt to his new discipline of rugby 7s. Last February, he took his first steps in Vancouver. Three tournaments later, he won two titles and a bronze medal. And unsurprisingly, he didn’t wait long to make his new teammates score. Already become a centerpiece of the French 7s teamthe Toulouse native offered, in three tournaments on the world circuit, eight assists to Paulin Riva, Aaron Grandidier or even his Toulouse friend Nelson Épée…

As in XV, and even more so with such a large space on the field, Dupont has adapted perfectly to the exercise and manages, thanks to the pass, to find gaps which disrupt the opposing defenses. With the Olympic Games this summer, he could surpass the 10 assist mark in his new discipline.

This Friday against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, a final du Top 14, Antoine Dupont will have the opportunity to make history even further. Still as strong offensively and impressive in the defensive phases, the scrum half has begun a new transformation this season, marked in particular by record altruism. He will be able to take advantage of one last gala match to add a few assists to an already very impressive total.