The captain of the France team is nominated for the title of best world player of the year in Rugby sevens, and could be rewarded at the World Rugby Awards on November 24. A nomination judged as a “lack of respect” by the Argentinian coach, Santiago Gomez Cora.
“I think it’s too much”
Antoine Dupont is undoubtedly one of the best rugby players in the world. His move to 7 was a success because with the Blues he won the Los Angeles tournament, the final stage of the world circuit in Madrid, but also the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Three triumphs therefore, for four tournaments played. Despite this nice track record, his nomination as “best player of the year at 7” is not unanimous. So much so that Santiago Gomez Cora explained that he did not understand the presence of Antoine Dupont, even speaking of“a lack of respect”.
“I don’t agree at all [avec sa nomination]. I now understand many things, which I assumed déjàdeclared the Argentinian technician on ESPN . He played two World Tour stops, including one as a substitute. He played a total of 12 minutes in Vancouver and they put him on the roster. From there we got worried. In Los Angeles, he played a little longer and was named the tournament’s best player. And now the player of the year. I think it’s too much and it’s a lack of respect.”he added in particular.
If the coach did not mince his words, one of his players measured his coach’s words. With the track record obtained by the Tricolores, Marcos Moneta finds it rather consistent that a Frenchman wins this honorary prize: “I think there must be a Frenchman. They won Madrid and the Games. […] And afterwards, I don’t like to talk about it because it concerns my team, but I would have put Matías Osadczuk”. The other two named alongside Antoine Dupont are the French Aaron Grandidier Nkanang and the Irish Terry Kennedy.
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Antoine Dupont and his French teammates had eliminated the Argentinians twice. First in the final (19-5) during the last stage in Madrid, then in the quarter-final (26-14) during the Paris Olympic Games.
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