VIDEO. “Rugby 7s has given me a lot of mental freshness,” says Antoine Dupont, who is aiming for the Olympic title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Just two days before the first match of the French rugby sevens team in its Olympic tournament, Antoine Dupont returned, Monday July 22 in the “20 heures” of France 2, to his Olympic preparation, the ambitions of the French team, but also to the indictment for aggravated rape of two players of the XV of France on the sidelines of a friendly match in Argentina.

“We are not the only favourites, there are several teams in the top three. Above all, we hope to have the support of the public, that it can carry us, give us an extra boost of soul.” Particularly humble when discussing his team’s ambitions, the captain of the French XV insisted on the importance “to participate [aux JO] with a team that had the potential to win.”

Champion of France and Europe this year with Stade Toulousain, the player assured that the move to rugby 7s had allowed him to give new impetus to his career. “MDiving into a discipline I don’t know is almost like going back to school. I had to go back to basics, ask a lot of questions. I reached a point in my career where I needed something new, as a man and as a player,” he analyzed.

Finally, Antoine Dupont reacted to the indictment of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, accused of rape by a woman in Argentina, on the sidelines of a summer tour of the French team in South America. “That does not give a good image of rugby. It is a shame to see this in our sport which has such beautiful values”, regretted the player.