Antoine Dupont, Damian Penaud, Grégory Alldritt… These executives who revealed themselves thanks to the duplicates during the Tournament

Every year, it’s a period that the staff and presidents of the biggest clubs in France fear: doubles. These championship days placed at the same time as international windows, where the best teams have to cope without their internationals. Didier Lacroix, president of Stade Toulouse, explained in the columns of The Team that “in this very tight, very competitive Top 14, no club gives up matches during periods of doubles. The positive side is having to throw young players into the deep end.”

We see young people who bravely seize their chance every year, like Guillaume Cramont who shone in February during the absences of Peato Mauvaka and Julien Marchand in Toulouse. “During the Tournament period, many young people join the group, this allows us to create a cycle where these young people must show that they have the qualities of a high level.“, explains Bordeaux-Bègles fullback Nans Ducuing.

And sometimes it happens that in the midst of a crowd of new ones, a star appears. The one who shines brighter than the others, and who was just waiting for this opportunity to show herself. A look back at the meteoric winter rises of certain Blues executives.

2015: Antoine Dupont, the child prodigy

We are in 2015, and the XV of France is going through the darkest hours of its modern history. Defeated twice by Italy in the last three years, Philippe Saint-André’s men cannot find continuity, mainly at the hinge level, which is constantly changing. The latest arrival, Rory Kockott is propelled into the Blues scrum, which leaves a big void in Castres, the reigning Top 14 finalist.

Indeed, the only assurances in the position are the experienced Cédric Garcia, recently arrived at the club after five seasons with Bayonne, and the young Antoine Dupont, who had only had 27 minutes of professional play in all. . Not a problem for the explosive number 9 trained in Auch. “With us, he quickly showed his strengths: physical power, speed and reading of the game. He was mature for his age, he took the game on his own“, explained Mathieu Bonello to West France in 2022.

Although he was first tested in the European Cup, Antoine Dupont quickly took his first steps in the Top 14, at just 17 years old, and reached the next level thanks to his work, in the shadow of Cédric Garcia and Rory Kockott. “In Castres, he did not arrive with the label of star, but of young hope. He was respectful of his teammates and didn’t speak one word higher than the other. He did not seek the light and remained very humble“, continues the former Castres Olympic hooker.

If the CO results are unusual for a team of its stature (12th in Top 14 and maintained with two days remaining), Antoine Dupont nevertheless struck a major blow in people’s minds. The first of a long series in his career.

2017: Damian Penaud, the heir with a chaotic career

Lyon, then Brive, then finally Clermont. Damian Penaud’s journey through the training centers was not strewn with rose petals. After a difficult start in the world of Oval, the second highest scorer in the history of the Blues landed in Clermont, where he completed his training. His former educator in Brive, Thierry Maurin, explained for The Sports Daily “that he had something extra. We had picked up a very energetic kid, eager to progress. He was a boy who was lively, very pleasant, he liked to set the mood and had difficulty staying still.“

If he was able to show snippets of his talent during the first period of doubles, in November 2016, it was in the winter of 2017 that Damian Penaud exploded the Top 14. Taking advantage of the departures with the XV of France of Rémi Lamerat and Wesley Fofana, then the heavy injury to the latter’s foot, he burst all the defensive curtains of the championship with his speed and his sense of the game.He often does the right thing. When he crosses, he doesn’t make too many gestures, he always looks to see if he can make the ball live and he is very collective“, develops Thierry Maurin. The son of the former international fly-half Alain Penaud becomes in a few games an indisputable starter in the center alongside Aurélien Rougerie, sixteen years his senior.

He ended the season with nine tries scored in all competitions and took ASM to a second place in the regular season, before winning the title of French champion, the first since 2010. Quite remarkable performances which opened up the possibilities for him. doors of the XV of France for a tour in South Africa, where he will score on his first cap.

2018: Grégory Alldritt, the unexpected

One year before the 2019 World Cup in Japan, a face appears at the La Rochelle training center: Grégory Alldritt. “Him and Peter [Bourgarit] arrived from Auch, therefore trained outside the professional world, we did not expect much from their beginningscomments former third row Kevin Gourdon to franceinfo: sport. They took advantage of Jiff’s system [Joueurs issus de la formation française] to get started.“The former La Rochelle third row was able to see the explosion of his young teammate up close, since it was his participation in the 2018 Tournament which gave Alldritt the opportunity to appear at the forefront.

Quickly, Grégory Alldritt makes it clear through his intensity and his talent that he is not just one young prospect among many others, and that he has qualities beyond measure in his position. First launched as a third wing line, he brought his explosiveness coming off the bench, in a difficult end to the season for the Rochelais who failed at the gates of the play-offs in Top 14. “He had real leadership, he always wanted to do well and get the whole team moving forward, explains the former international third row, he asked for all the balls, he was always in support. If he could have multiplied, he would have done so.“

Just one year and 25 matches after his professional debut, he donned the Blues jersey at the opening of the 2019 Tournament and participated in all five matches, as a symbol of his meteoric rise. “It sounds a bit old-fashioned to say that, but he arrived with a generation that was more professional in its attitude than we were at the same age. This is what allowed this really rapid progress“, develops Kevin Gourdon. From the little guy from Auch arriving on the big stage to captain of the XV of France six years later, Grégory Alldritt has gone through the stages at great speed.

2022: Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the phenomenon

Federico Mori, Italian international, leaves a vacant place in the Bordeaux back line during the 2022 Tournament. Louis Bielle-Biarrey didn’t need much more to explode. “From the first training sessions, we quickly understood that we were dealing with a phenomenon, he already had the physical and technical skills for the very high level.“, describes UBB back Nans Ducuing to franceinfo: sport. Left at the disposal of the hopeful team at the start of the season, “he could score four or five tries in a match, and everyone understood that the boy was a ticking time bomb“.

Despite UBB’s mixed collective results, Louis Bielle-Biarrey distinguished himself by participating in all of the club’s matches in the championship. “He is unanimous in the locker room very quickly, he plays on this carefree attitude, whether on or off the pitch, and this is what makes him so appreciated in the group, as well as by the supporters.“, notes the former back of the XV of France. Services which allowed him to discover the France group, then to participate in the 2023 World Cup at home.

This year, several young players like Maël Moustin (20 years old, Bordeaux-Bègles), Karl Sorin (20 years old, La Rochelle) or Ugo Vignolles (21 years old, Lyon) had the opportunity to shine and discover the professional world. Who will be next to take their chance?