While Antoine Dupont visited the Los Angeles Chargers, the best rugby player on the planet does not for a single second consider playing in the NFL. Despite his talent and qualities, he does not have the physique for this sport.
What if, after successfully transitioning from 15-a-side rugby to 7-a-side rugby, Antoine Dupont tried his luck in another discipline? For his last days of vacation, the Stade Toulousain player flew to California to visit the Los Angeles Chargers. And if he was able to visit the facilities of this franchise, talk with the coach, with a few players, and even kick a few kicks on the field, the French scrum-half has no intention of offer a retraining in the NFL.
Seen from a distance, rugby and American football could look similar. But in reality, the US cousin of our oval is a sport which has such specificities that even an athlete of the caliber of Antoine Dupont would probably not have his place. There are some beautiful babies in rugby, but in Los Angeles, the best player in the Top 14 was able to cross paths with the offensive linemen, those who protect the quarterback. An example? Joe Alt, the player drafted by the Chargers, announced at 2.06 m and 141 kg at only 21 years old.
« We don’t have any like that, admitted Dupont to L’Equipe. Because we, in the end, the guys have to be strong, but they still have to run a lot, move around, so they can’t be too heavy either. There, there are really specific positions where it still remains quite static, even if there is explosiveness on the first supports, there is very very little movement, so the guys are really massive, and it It’s true that it’s always impressive to see. »
If he were to try his luck, Antoine Dupont doesn’t even know what position he could play. “ It still remains far from rugby. I would really have to spend a lot of time there and, honestly, I don’t even have a position in which I could project myself, since I could be considered a playmaker at 15, which would be the quarterback here , but I’m not going to work on that now. And when I see the athletes there are as receivers, I don’t think I’m invited. »
Receivers are players who must be ultra-fast, to outpace defenders, and who must be tall enough to catch balls. The references (Ceedee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, etc.) are at least 10 centimeters taller than Dupont (1.75m). A Tyreek Hill (1.78m) stands out for his size, but the Miami Dolphins player is an arrow, already down below 10″20 in the 100 meters. Dupont, even if he is not slow, does not have these qualities.
It’s too late for Dupont: “ Guys have been doing this since they were little…”
What about quarterback then? In some ways, the role of organizer of the game is a bit like that of the scrum-half. But beyond the passing technique which differs from rugby, the great difficulty of the position is having to understand and analyze the offensive and defensive strategies of the two teams in a fraction of a second. You have to have been immersed in it for years to understand all the subtleties. Sometimes, certain quarterbacks who arrive in the NFL at 24 or 25 years old, after having played 4 years in this position in college, have to wait one or two seasons on the bench to learn, before being thrown into the deep end. Imagine a layman coming from another sport…
In addition, if Dupont dominates in rugby by his volume of play, which allows him to make the difference at one time or another, the rhythm of NFL matches is completely different. Actions only last a few seconds, which gives pride of place to explosive players. Welshman Louis Rees-Zammit, one of the most talented and promising wingers on the rugby planet, attempted the NFL adventure, via a specialized integration program. Despite several months of training, and a few appearances in preseason, he failed to find a place in the Kansas City Chiefs squad. He wasn’t fast enough or powerful enough to make a difference as a running back, the ball carrier.
“That would be more the position that I could occupy, believes for his part Dupont, who prefers not to think about it. Guys have been doing this since they were little, they train all day, so I think it’s too late unfortunately. » And defender, otherwise? His profile would rather be that of a linebacker, a fairly hybrid player, who must be able to hinder receivers and tackle runners. But if he made it to the NFL, Dupont would be the smallest player in the league at the position. No need to think about it…
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