for his first training at 7, Antoine Dupont took to the light in Marcoussis

The captain of the XV of France experienced a first serious and diligent outing on the pitch with the 7-a-side group on Wednesday at the National Rugby Center.

He brought unprecedented media coverage to French rugby sevens, and his name was on everyone’s lips, on and off the field. The captain of the XV of France Antoine Dupont made his return and his first steps with the Blues group of 7, in Marcoussis, Wednesday January 3.

Seven weeks after the officialization of his adventure at 7 with a view to the Olympic Games, the scrum half from Stade Toulouse blended in with naturalness and discretion, between the rays of sun and the raindrops of the January showers, at the 18 players called up by coach-selector Jérôme Daret.

Hazing and already in the bath

A group which took care of welcoming him according to the usual ritual, which saw him perform ten “burpees” (jump push-ups) to the encouragement and shouts of his new teammates. “We took Antoine with us, we welcomed him, to discover the system. We welcome all the people who help us work. It’s a little ritual to join the group”, explained the captain, Paulin Riva at the end of the session. If he didn’t speak, he still captured the attention, and everyone took it upon themselves to talk about him, his adaptation, and the rest of his program until the big meeting -you of summer.

For his first training, and therefore his discovery of the 7-a-side game, the best player in the world 2021 showed diligence and seriousness from the first exercises. In a session focused mainly around kick-offs, one of the points to work on for the Blues after the first two tournaments of the season, he observed and listened a lot, sometimes remaining at the edge of the pitch during certain exercises and phases game.

Followed by the FFR cameras, guided by Jérôme Daret and the staff who often gave him specific instructions and with whom he exchanged a lot, he was also accompanied by his teammates, ready to congratulate him for each good deed. At the end of the session, he worked in a small group on positioning in the rucks and kicking. “He has just arrived, and he doesn’t particularly know rugby sevens, so he was very attentive”indicated Agen Jefferson player Lee Joseph.

“All the skills to exist in this game”

For the coach-selector of the Blues, the Toulouse player’s debut is successful and promising. “I found him very comfortable, he’s a player who comes to expose himself, he gets out of his comfort zone, he wants to fight”he said with a smile, even assuring that Antoine Dupont had “all the skills to exist in this game”. Because even without being present to speak, Dupont also disrupted the habits of the post-training press conference, where it was necessary to add a few chairs for the occasion. Paulin Riva, Jefferson Lee Joseph and Jérôme Daret were all invited to give their impressions on the latest arrival and in particular what he needs to work on.

“The real issue will be to get him to support the workload and tend towards the requirement of 7, there is a difference on the physical dimension”, noted Jérôme Daret. It is particularly in terms of land that the Toulousain will therefore work, between his club Stade Toulousain and the French group, which he will join on a regular basis, “about once a month”, until the last tournament of the season, in Madrid (May 31-June 2). Between now and then, he will compete in two stages of the world circuit, in Vancouver (end of February) and Los Angeles (beginning of March).