After winning their first group match on Friday March 1 against Canada (24-7), the French team dominated Great Britain (19-12) on Saturday morning, then the United States in the evening in the quarterfinals. final (14-0), at the World Sevens Rugby Tour tournament in Los Angeles. Against the British in the morning, Antoine Dupont came on in the second half and delighted the public with a foot pass for a corner try from Nelson Epée, his partner from Stade Toulousain.
Antoine Dupont is now a starter in major matches, and had a great day on Saturday, showing off his explosiveness to score a try in the quarter, before managing the tempo of a game played for a long time outnumbered (two yellow cards) .
“It doesn’t happen much here, even in our system we do very little kicking. When it works everyone says well done, but you must not miss it because afterwards, the counter can be fatal,” said Antoine Dupont in the mixed zone. “Each time I am on the field, I progress (…) I continue to learn, to nourish myself, each time I am on the field, I analyze by discussing with the guys, I continue to familiarize myself with this sport. »
Iconic captain of the XV of France, Antoine Dupont, 27, joined the VII to compete in the Paris Olympic Games (July 26 – August 11). After the tournament in Vancouver (Canada) last week, where the Blues finished third, he continued his apprenticeship in Los Angeles.
“It’s another string to our bow.”
“Antoine we try to tame him, he always surprises us,” greeted his teammate Stephen Parez. “He’s trying, it’s working, good for the team, we will always be behind him for any of his initiatives. It’s another string to our bow, plus he really knows how to do everything, he’s impressive, we’re trying to rely on that to score tries more easily than usual. »
The French meet on Sunday shortly after 2 p.m. (11 p.m. in Paris) for their semi-final against Ireland.
However, if the Dupont effect is perceptible on the pitch, it does not really permeate the stands. Almost empty on Friday, the stands were painfully full on Saturday, as the rain fell on the Dignity Health Sports Park (south of the city), home of the Los Angeles Galaxy “soccer” club.
The French also started their tournament perfectly with a victory on Friday against Japan (35-7), then a success on Saturday over Ireland (21-5), before losing against Australia (17-14). They will play their quarter-final on Sunday shortly after 10 a.m. (7 p.m. in Paris) against Canada.
