The two internationals, who meet in the Top 14 final on Saturday, played together in Auch when they were young.
There will be a bit of Gers in the air of Saint-Denis. The final of the Top 14, which opposes Stade Toulouse to Stade Rochelais, Saturday June 17 at the Stade de France, will see several players from the department of Gascony, first and foremost Antoine Dupont and Grégory Alldritt. Before facing each other on the field, the two evening captains played together in Auch. Common roots that have shaped them and to which they have remained attached.
The number 9 from Toulouse and the number 8 from La Rochelle both wore the red and white colors of RC Auch in their youth. Antoine Dupont spent three seasons there, between 2011 and 2014, while Grégory Alldritt, who arrived in 2008, made his professional debut there in 2016. They crossed paths there and were teammates for a year, as cadets (less than 17), also in the company of Anthony Jelonch and Pierre Bourgarit, two other protagonists of the excellent seasons of the two best teams in France.
An already undeniable talent
Not yet adults but rough diamonds to polish, they already showed obvious abilities. “Antoine was already a captain, as he is now. Because of his value on the pitch, everyone already respected him”remembers Patrick Davasse, coach of the cadets at that time. “And Grégory was already a locker room captain, who brings everyone together.” “He already had this ability to cross and break the lines. It was already his big strong point”abounds Cyril Garnier, who also supervised the group, being very close to the future Rochelais, of whom he was also the PE teacher in secondary school.
“Antoine was already a boy who ‘stank’ of rugby, there’s nothing to say about that.”
Cyril GarnierAt franceinfo: sport
Under the Auscitain jersey, the two players have perfected their training. “We had the best young people in the department and we faced the best teams in the region: Toulouse, Perpignan… This allowed them to progress a lot”says Patrick Davasse. In 2014, Antoine Dupont went so far as to play in the final of the France Crabos championship, the under-18 championship, concluded with a defeat against Racing 92. A moment that he often describes as the first great rugby memory of his career.
Strong links with the club and the region
This passage shaped them for the rest of their adventure. “It was the right environment to grow and learn, a bit far from everything, in a cocoon where we had time to take care of them”, explains Cyril Garnier. Incubated in the great talent pool of the department, Antoine Dupont and Grégory Alldritt had all the tools to devote themselves to the oval ball. “At that time, for them, it was rugby above all”rewinds Patrick Davasse. “They loved rugby, they went to rugby school, they played rugby all day.”
“Auch is friendship, friends, the steeple, the jersey, we worked a lot on that.”
Patrick DavasseAt franceinfo: sport
There, the two players have long remained close to their family and local environment, they who grew up in Castelnau-Magnoac and Condom. “We didn’t just represent Auch, we represented the Gers”recalls Patrick Davasse. A context to which they remain very attached today. “They always have this concern to know where they come from, and I think that’s a great strength in them”, adds Cyril Garnier. This season, before the final of the French junior championship, the coach was able to share with his youngsters a video of encouragement and congratulations featuring the two players.
Within the club, it is difficult to take sides for the upcoming grand final. Even years after the departure of “Toto” and “Greg”, those who rubbed shoulders with them still can’t get used to seeing them as adversaries. “I have always known them together. Seeing them against each other, when I look at the newspapers, when I see Greg captain on one side and Antoine on the other, it’s very strange”, laughs Cyril Garnier. And if it is necessary to risk a prognosis? “For me, both teams deserve it, and they have both been very important to them. I will be delighted for the winner, and disappointed for the loser.” Whatever the result, the Gers can boast of having trained at least one French champion in 2023.