Antoine_Dupont

Antoine Dupont

Antoine Dupont

French professional rugby union player

Antoine Dupont (born 15 November 1996) is a French professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Top 14 club Toulouse and captains the France national team.[1][2] He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the world and of his generation.[3][4][5]

Quick Facts Date of birth, Place of birth ...

Dupont has won the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year award in 2021 and three Six Nations Player of the Championships, the most by a French player. He has won five major trophies in his career, including three Top 14 titles, the European Rugby Champions Cup and the Six Nations Championship.[6]

Early life

Dupont was born in Lannemezan but grew up in the nearby village of Castelnau-Magnoac where he started playing rugby for Magnoac FC at the age of 4. In 2011, he joined Auch as a junior.

Club career

In 2014, Dupont joined Castres in the Top 14 after the relegation of Auch in the 2013–14 Rugby Pro D2 season.

In November 2016, Stade Toulousain announced Antoine Dupont's recruitment for the 2017–18 season.[7]

In 2019, Dupont won the Top 14 with Toulouse after defeating Clermont Auvergne 24-18 in the 2018-19 final.

In May 2021, Dupont won the European Rugby Champions Cup with Toulouse after defeating La Rochelle 22-17 in the 2020-2021 final. As captain, he lifted the trophy after the final whistle.[8] In the same year, Toulouse completed the domestic and European double winning the Top 14 for the 2nd time beating La Rochelle 18-8 in the final.[9]

International career

In 2016, Dupont was selected for the France U-20 team for the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. He was one of the stars of the tournament scoring 36 points which included 5 tries.[10]

In November 2016, he was selected for the French Barbarian team which played and beat Australia.

Dupont was called up to the French first team for the first time ahead of France's fourth 2017 Six Nations Championship match against Italy as a replacement for Maxime Machenaud.[11] He made his debut in that game coming on for Baptiste Serin in the 72nd minute of an eventual 40–18 away win.

In 2020, Dupont was named Player of the Championship during following the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[12]

In 2022, Dupont was named as France's stand-in captain in the absence of Charles Ollivon. Later that year, France won the 2022 Six Nations Championship, achieving the Grand Slam as a result. This was France's first Six Nations Championship win since 2010.[13] Dupont was awarded Player of the Championship for the third time.[14]

Though France did not win the 2023 Six Nations tournament, Dupont claimed his third Player of the Championship trophy, equalling Brian O'Driscoll as the only player to win the award three times.

He is the third French captain after Fabien Pelous and Thierry Dusautoir to have beaten Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Personal life

Dupont graduated from high school in 2014, obtaining his baccalaureate in science, particularly biology and natural science.[15] He then completed an undergraduate degree (licence) in science and techniques of physical and sports activities (STAPS) at the Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier University in 2018.[15] After graduation, Dupont attended the Toulouse School of Management, a public management school which is part of the Toulouse 1 Capitole University, from 2018 to 2020 and earned as a graduate a master's degree in sport management.[16][17]

With his two years older brother Clément, he bought and renovated an old rural estate located in his childhood village that belonged to his grandparents. The venue reopened in 2021 and is used for parties, wedding receptions, and other types of corporate events.[17][18]

In addition to his native French, Dupont can speak English.[19]

Commercial endorsements

An acclaimed and popular athlete, Dupont is one of the highest-paid French players with income of €600,000 per season, as of 2021.[20] In addition to his salary and bonuses, he has endorsements with many brands and global companies, including Adidas, Peugeot, Volvic and Tissot while he was sponsored by Land Rover until 2021.[21][22][23][24] In 2016, he signed a sponsorship contract with the German sportswear and equipment supplier on a deal worth €40,000 per year.[20] In 2022, he became a brand ambassador for retail company Groupe Casino and France state-owned railway company SNCF.[25][26] Additionally, he appeared on the cover of video game Rugby 22 alongside Cheslin Kolbe and Will Skelton.[27]

Other appearances

Dupont wax figure unveiled in 2023

Dupont has been involved in films and series focused on Toulouse. From 7 November 2020 to June 2021, French filmmakers Éric Hannezo and Matthieu Vollaire filmed a 107-minute black and white documentary feature film Le Stade, which follows the French club during Stade Toulousain's 2020-21 Champions Cup and Top 14 successful campaign, after having shot more than 600 hours of dailies for weeks.[28][29] The movie was theatrically released on 13 April 2022 in France by Pathé and took around 67,000 admissions domestically.[30][31] A sports docuseries of the same name, using unseen footage and containing four 40-minute episodes, was released on the streaming service Paramount+ on 22 December 2022.[32][33][34]

Alongside former rugby union player Sébastien Chabal, Formula One driver Esteban Ocon, astronaut Thomas Pesquet and multiple French artists, he took part in the 2023 Les Enfoirés charity concert edition for the Restaurants du Cœur.[35] The show was broadcast by TF1 on 3 March and had an audience of more than 8 million viewers.[36]

He appeared in the video clip for the song Dernière by French rappers Bigflo & Oli, released in June 2023.[37] A tribute song was also dedicated to him the same month,[38] and a biographical comic book was released in September 2023.[39]

About three months prior to the kick-off of the 2023 Rugby World Cup opening match, a wax figure of Dupont went on display at the Musée Grévin in Paris.[40]

Career statistics

List of international tries

More information No., Date ...

Correct as of 25 September 2023[41]

International analysis by opposition

More information Opposition, Played ...

as of 4 August 2023[41]

Honours

Toulouse
France
France 7
Individual

Filmography

Film

More information Year, Title ...

Television

More information Year, Title ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Antoine Dupont Profile". Itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  2. [2]
    "Stade Toulousain". www.stadetoulousain.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  3. [3]
    Thomas, Steffan (2023-08-28). "The 30 best rugby players in the world right now". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  4. [4]
    World, Rugby (2021-12-06). "Antoine Dupont named world's best player by Rugby World". Rugby World. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  5. [5]
    "France's Dupont is best player in world - New Zealand's Smith". Reuters. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  6. [6]
    worldrugby.org. "World Rugby Awards 2021: Men's and Women's 15s Player of the Year unveiled | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  7. [7]
    "Toulouse sign rising star Dupont | Planetrugby.com". Planetrugby.com. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  8. [8]
    "Toulouse edge 14-man la Rochelle for fifth European Cup". RTÉ.ie. 22 May 2021.
  9. [9]
    "Résultat et résumé Toulouse - la Rochelle, match en direct - Top 14 2020-2021, Finale, Vendredi 25 Juin 2021".
  10. [10]
    "Antoine Dupont | Rugby.com.au". rugby.com.au. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  11. [11]
    XV de France : La composition pour l’Italie
  12. [12]
    "Dupont and Scarratt win Player of the Championship Awards". 6 November 2020.
  13. [13]
    "Dupont strikes to seal Grand Slam glory for France".
  14. [14]
    "Antoine Dupont named 2022 Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship". 25 March 2022.
  15. [15]
    Ferrand, Emma (8 March 2020). "Antoine Dupont: "Après le Tournoi des six nations, j'enchaîne avec trois partiels"". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  16. [16]
    Quennehen, Hugo (2 April 2021). "PORTRAIT. Antoine Dupont, rugbyman talentueux et étudiant exemplaire : " C'est vraiment une étoile "". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. [17]
    Harrington, James (10 December 2021). "Antoine Dupont: World's greatest determined to make every play count". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  18. [18]
    Balidas, Julien (26 October 2021). "Antoine Dupont et son frère Clément ouvrent le Domaine de Barthas à Castelnau-Magnoac". France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  19. [19]
    Virgin Media Sport (26 January 2023). Antoine Dupont on a big year for French rugby (Interview). Retrieved 24 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  20. [20]
    Gou, Pierre-Laurent (10 December 2021). "Antoine Dupont, une marque qui se développe". Rugbyrama (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  21. [21]
    "XV de France : Antoine Dupont, une image et un atout marketing pour le rugby français". Sud Ouest (in French). 20 March 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  22. [22]
    "Histoires d'excellence : Antoine Dupont, ambassadeur Peugeot". Peugeot (in French). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  23. [23]
    ""Un tweet absolument maladroit"... Quand Volvic félicite Dupont et supprime son tweet". Rugbyrama (in French). 2 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  24. [24]
    Reyrat, David (11 February 2022). "Réseaux sociaux, performances, sponsors… Romain Ntamack, l'autre tête d'affiche "bankable" des Bleus". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  25. [25]
    "Dupont devient ambassadeur de la marque Casino jusqu'en 2024". Rugbyrama (in French). 17 January 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  26. [26]
    Mazella, Clément (22 March 2022). "XV de France. Antoine Dupont nommé ambassadeur d'une grosse entreprise française". Actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  27. [27]
    Goodwill, Jake (2 February 2022). "Rugby 22 is the sport's latest video game let-down". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  28. [28]
    "La bande-annonce du film " Le Stade " dévoilée". L'Équipe (in French). 8 March 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  29. [29]
    Alquier, Pascal (23 December 2022). "Les coulisses du documentaire sur le Stade Toulousain, diffusé sur les plateformes de streaming". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  30. [30]
    Reyrat, David (12 April 2022). "Comment le Stade Toulousain s'est retrouvé sur le grand écran". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  31. [31]
    Reyrat, David (19 May 2022). "Rugby : le film Le Stade fait près de 70.000 entrées". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  32. [32]
    Tracy, Andrew (21 December 2022). "Extra: "Celebrity Island" to Denmark; rugby doc "Le Stade" hits Paramount+". RealScreen. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  33. [33]
    Jacquin, Gala (22 December 2022). ""Le Stade", la docu-série du Stade Toulousain arrive sur Paramount+". L'Opinion Indépendante (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  34. [34]
    "Le Stade, la série disponible sur Paramount+". Stade Toulousain (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  35. [35]
    Galinier, Simon (17 January 2023). "Rugby. Le capitaine du XV de France Antoine Dupont est un "Enfoiré"". Actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  36. [36]
    "" Les Enfoirés " : 8,1 millions de téléspectateurs pour le concert des Restos du cœur sur TF1". Ouest-France (in French). 4 March 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  37. [37]
    "Toulouse. Quand Antoine Dupont plaque Oli dans un nouveau clip". actu.fr (in French). 2023-06-18. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  38. [38]
    "[VIDEO] VIDEO. "Allez Toto", avant la Coupe du monde en France, Antoine Dupont a déjà une chanson en son honneur". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  39. [39]
    ""Il vit toujours en colloc" : une bande-dessinée dévoile la vie du jeune prodige du rugby français Antoine Dupont". France 3 Occitanie (in French). 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  40. [40]
    Baheux, Romain (25 May 2023). "" Voir son double, c'est troublant " : Frédéric Michalak et Antoine Dupont entrent au musée Grévin". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  41. [41]
    "DUPONT Antoine - XV de France masculin". FFR (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  42. [42]
    Franco, Vincent (29 March 2023). "6 Nations 2023 - 19 trophées en 6 ans : le palmarès d'Antoine Dupont ne cesse de s'étoffer". Rugbyrama (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  43. [43]
    "France captain Dupont eager to enjoy Grand Slam as World Cup looms". RFI. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  44. [44]
    Hamilton, Tom (20 March 2023). "Each Six Nations side's to-do list ahead of the 2023 World Cup: Where do England, Ireland, France stand?". ESPN. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  45. [45]
    Reyrat, David (20 November 2023). "Nuit du Rugby : élu meilleur joueur du Top 14, Antoine Dupont rafle (encore) la mise". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  46. [46]
    Mockford, Sarah (6 December 2021). "Antoine Dupont named world's best player by Rugby World". Rugby World. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  47. [47]
    Vau, Alexandre (13 April 2022). "Débuts prometteurs pour "Le Stade", le film du Stade Toulousain qui sort en salle ce mercredi". France Bleu (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  48. [48]
    Guerrin, Stéphanie (18 October 2022). "Paramount+ : c'est quoi cette nouvelle plate-forme qui débarque en France le 1er décembre ?". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2023.

Further reading

  • Escot, Richard (2022). Anthologie des Bleus (in French). Paris: Éditions Solar. ISBN 978-2263180705.
  • David, Arnaud; Dorian, Jean-Pierre; Espitalier, Nicolas; Harté, Yves; Kappès-Grangé, Denys; Magnol, Thierry; Plagnol, Olivier (2023). 100 Bleus de légende : Les joueurs les plus emblématiques de l'histoire du rugby français (in French). Bordeaux: Éditions Sud Ouest. ISBN 978-2817710006.
  • Bills, Peter (2023). Le Coq: A Journey to the Heart of French Rugby. London: Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1838956035.
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