After a third place in Vancouver (Canada) last week, the French men's sevens rugby team perfectly managed its rise to strength by winning, Sunday March 3, in the tournament in Los Angeles, California.
The Blues crushed Great Britain in the final (21-0) to win their first trophy since 2005 and make an impression before the Paris Olympic Games which will take place from July 26 to August 11. To shine and achieve this major objective, the emblematic captain of the XV of France, Antoine Dupont, recently joined the Sevens team, and played an important part in the success of the French in California.
Between his perfectly adjusted passes, his explosive starts and his devastating tackles, Antoine Dupont won a starting place, even if he did not start the final, visibly tired by the electric pace of his new discipline.
Talent and experience
In the cool of the Los Angeles Galaxy stadium, the Blues showed their mastery to stifle the British, whom they had already beaten in the group stage. Antoine Zeghdar (7th) and Stephen Parez (9th) dived into the goal before the entry of Dupont in the second half, who offered the third try to Théo Forner (13th).
The 27-year-old scored a try earlier on Sunday in the semi-final against Ireland in a suspenseful encounter, won 26-24 by the French. The Irish missed a transformation in stoppage time which would have allowed them to snatch an extension.
Throughout the tournament, Antoine Dupont showcased his talent and experience. He showed great explosiveness to score a try during the quarter-final against the United States (14-0), before managing the tempo of a game played for a long time outnumbered.
“He always surprises us.”
In the group stage, the man who was voted best player in the world at XV in 2021 scored a try against Canada on Friday, beating two defenders after being well served in the middle of the field. Against the British on Saturday morning, he 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 Toulouse, an unusual phase of play in the format at VII.
“Antoine we try to tame him, he always surprises us,” greeted, amused, his teammate Stephen Parez. “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,” he added.
“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”, judged, for his part, Antoine Dupont, during the weekend.
After having laid an interesting foundation for the Games, the French star will rest then return to the reality of the Top 14 with Stade Toulouse and leave the Blues of the VII without him for the tournaments in Hong Kong (April 5 to 7) and Singapore (May 3-5). He is expected to meet them again for the circuit final from May 31 to June 2 in Madrid.
If the Blues shone in the United States, the French experienced a huge disappointment with an elimination in the quarter-finals against Canada (28-19), finally finishing fifth, after having had three podiums during the first four stages. .
