Olympic hero Antoine Dupont returned to the top 14 on Saturday, with Toulouse coach Ugo Mola praising him as a welcome boost to the struggling champions.
Dupont returns to action against Clermont two and a half months after leading France to Olympic rugby sevens gold. And Mola believes it will have an impact on the entire team after back-to-back losses.
“(What) he gives to every team member through the trust he inspires, what he creates… we cannot underestimate this.”
Dupont will be making his first appearance in a Toulouse shirt since the side’s top-14 final win over Bordeaux-Beggle last June.
“He’s obviously the first one to be excited about this return. “After two and a half months, he was a little tired.” said his teammate Dimitri Delibes.
“It gives the group some energy. He is one of the leaders of the team. He always has the right words and the right advice.”
Following the 27-year-old’s Olympic success on home soil, Dupont has been named a top 14 player for the 2023-24 season.
During his post-Olympic break, he spent time in the United States, meeting Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi in Miami and NBA star LeBron James in California, and visited the Los Angeles Chargers’ NFL facility.
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His return is timely for Toulouse after back-to-back defeats against Bordeaux-Begles (16-12) at home for the first time since February 2022, followed by a 28-23 upset in Castres last weekend.
Dupont’s absence has seen the 23-time French champions make a poor start to the new season, with three wins from their opening five games leaving them fifth in the top 14.
Mola praised Dupont’s commitment, having trained several times in Toulouse during the break as the scrum-half prepares for France’s November Tests against Japan, New Zealand and Argentina.
He said DuPont continues to “push the curve” and knows it will be criticized for “poor” performance.
“He knows that and works accordingly. Maybe that’s one of the reasons he doesn’t hang out too much on holidays,” Mola added.
Versatile Argentina international defender Juan Cruz Mallia also returns south.
“It’s nice to see you two again. They bring that confidence and that little bit extra,” said lock Joshua Brennan.
Clermont flyhalf Benjamin Urdapilleta did not like coming up against Dupont.
“Couldn’t he have waited another week? We are out of luck,” the Argentinian quipped on French radio. His team is in sixth place, one point behind Toulouse.
Leaders Bordeaux-Begles host Perpignan, second-placed La Rochelle host Bayonne and struggling Racing 92 play third-placed Toulon.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images
