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The rugby players from Toulouse, led by their famous scrum half, challenge the South Africans from Durban this Saturday January 11 (4:15 p.m. French time) as part of the 3rd day of the Champions Cup.
What reception will South African supporters give rugby superstar Antoine Dupont this Saturday, January 11? The star scrum-half is playing, with his Stade Toulousain teammates, a match in Durban against the Sharks as part of the 3rd day of the Champions Cup (4:15 p.m. French time).
Dupont, a superstar? Yes. But on the lands of the rainbow nation, the Haut-Pyrénées is not unanimous and is even the target of criticism, sometimes virulent.
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This phenomenon has been observed in recent days, particularly on the social network Le Figaro or even 20 MinutesAntoine Dupont is the subject of harsh comments from certain South African fans: a certain number of them consider him “overrated” or even “never present in big matches”. The rarity of the star player’s appearances in the southern hemisphere also fuels criticism, with some saying that Dupont “is afraid” of coming to play matches there.
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Why these criticisms? Eurosport asked rugby journalist and outspoken South Africa supporter Jared Wright. “Some fans have immense respect for his abilities,” he begins, “but others don’t buy into the ‘hype’ around Dupont because they haven’t seen him play enough.”
-The origin of the skepticism of certain South African fans towards Antoine Dupont can also be explained by the 2023 World Cup in France, which the Blues left abruptly in the quarter-finals, beaten by… the Springboks , exactly.
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After this defeat at the end of the suspense (29-28), the star scrum half criticized the referee’s performance. “The 2023 World Cup left a bitter taste, with complaints about the refereeing,” recalls Jared Wright. “A lot of South African fans think he was a bad loser, because of his comments after the quarter-final.”
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The fact that the Springboks then won this World Cup in France and won the world Holy Grail reinforces these criticisms. Some fans do not hesitate to point out that “Siya Kolisi, captain of the Sharks, is a world champion.”
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