France captain Antoine Dupont is eager to feature in the Six Nations after missing last year’s tournament to chase Olympic Gold.
The brilliant scrum-half was successful in his pursuit but admits that it was difficult to watch on as France fell short of winning rugby’s greatest championship, falling to a defeat at the hands of Ireland and drawing with Italy.
Dupont marked his return to the Test scene last November leading the side to a victory over the All Blacks during an unbeaten end-of-year window.
Antoine Dupont returns
France head coach Fabien Galthie is clearly pleased to have his star man back in the blue jersey as they set their sights on the Six Nations title.
“It’s the return of our captain with all the potential he has, that we know,” said Galthié.
He added: “He carries around him and with him an aura that impacts the France group. His return for us is something important.”
While France were disappointed with a second-place finish last year, Dupont did enjoy success with the Sevens team helping the side win the World Series as well as a gold medal at their home Olympics.
The 28-year-old was already a well-rounded player before tackling the shorter format of the game but he has taken learnings from his stint in Sevens and pinpointed the s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 that will influence his XVs performance most.
“On a seven-a-side field, we have to be good in all rugby s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. Even if we are three-quarters XV, we have to be good on the rucks, make good passes, be quick,” he told the official Six Nations website.
The 28-year-old was already a well-rounded player before tackling the shorter format of the game but he has taken learnings from his stint in Sevens and pinpointed the s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 that will influence his XVs performance most.
“On a seven-a-side field, we have to be good in all rugby s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. Even if we are three-quarters XV, we have to be good on the rucks, make good passes, be quick,” he told the official Six Nations website.
“It wasn’t easy”
While the world-class number nine enjoyed his stint in the shorter format, he admits that it was difficult to watch his teammates struggle in the Six Nations last year.
“It wasn’t easy to watch the guys,” he said.
“I think last year’s result was not what we expected. But, once again, I had other objectives while being focused on my Sevens career.
“I think that even if we were not at our best level, the end result was not so bad. We finished second in the Tournament. We had a good series in November and we must continue, keep the momentum for the Six Nations.”
France are currently in camp as they build towards the start of the tournament as they host Wales in round one at the Stade de France on January 31.
While Dupont is raring to go, he has rued the limited preparation time the squad have for the Championship.
