Antoine Dupont reunites with the South Africans, a year and a half after the defeat at the World Cup: “Unconsciously there will surely be a small part of us who will think about it”

“Of course memories will come back, but today the context is completely different, there is no story of revenge for that”said the star scrum half of the Rouge et Noir and the XV of France.

HAS Durbanthe Toulouse residents and their numerous French internationals will meet for the third day of the Champions Cup several world champions, from He is Kolisi has Makazole Mapimpi passing through Ox Nché or Bongi Mbonambi. “We lost the match, we are in a completely different context today, but unconsciously there will surely be a small part of us that will think about it”conceded Antoine Dupont, in reference to the quarter-final lost at the Stade de France in October 2023 (29-28).

“This match marked French rugby […] obviously there is a bit of an analogy between what they experienced a year ago and the ability to come to South Africa to confront this rugby which is, in terms of results, the best in the world.underlined the Toulouse coach Ugo Line.

For second line Thibaud Flament, starting in October 2023 with the Blues, “It’s part of the context of this match, but in our heads we’re not talking about revenge in relation to the World Cup, or a test in relation to the Southern Hemisphere”.

Second match for Dupont in the Southern Hemisphere

The Toulouse Stadium wants to secure a third victory in a row in the Champions Cup against the Sharks (Saturday 4:15 p.m.), to be able to finish at the top of their group and secure a more affordable table. To achieve this, Ugo Mola will launch his forces: the Dupont-Ntamack hinge will liven up the game, with Thomas Ramos at the back, and a second line Meafou-Flament. In the absence of Alexandre Roumat, injured in the hamstring, Jack Willis will occupy the third center line position alongside Jelonch and Cros, and Santiago Chocobares will replace Pita Ahki (calf) in the center. The Sharks will have to deal without their star second line Eben Etzebethhurt.

“They will want to put a lot of pressure on us, a big defense and a lot of density on all contacts, we tried to prepare for that”indicated Dupont. He will play for the second time in his career in the Southern Hemisphere, almost eight years after a defeat with the Blues, in the same Kings Park in Durban against the Boks.