After winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a debate arose: ‘Is Antoine Dupont the greatest athlete of all time?’
The GOAT debate. Whether you’re at a bar or scrolling through social media on a dark, gloomy night. Oh man, it’s been going on for the past 48 hours.
Antoine Dupont led France to their first ever Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a 28-7 win over Fiji in the men’s rugby sevens final. Dupont scored two tries and provided another assist. He was the best player on the pitch and is currently the best rugby player in the world. We are confident enough to say so. But as the final whistle blew, the debate began. Is Antoine Dupont the greatest player of all time?
On one side, there are those who hold Dupont’s name in the spotlight. They claim that there has never been a player as complete as France’s No. 9. Quick as a winger, strong as a back-rower, smart as a fly-half, and controlling the game like a puppeteer at scrum-half. A Top 14, Champions Cup winner, and Olympic gold medalist just six months after taking up a new sport.
Paris 2024 Men’s Rugby Sevens – Gold Medal Match
France v Fiji. Antoine Dupont passes the ball to Aaron Grandidier Nkanang who scores a try.
(Courtesy ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
Our friend at the magazine, Squidge Rugby, put up a simple post calling the Frenchman ‘a‘The greatest rugby player of all time.’ That’s a fair assessment considering what Dupont has achieved over the past few months and his career. France weren’t gold medal contenders in the Rugby Sevens 12 months ago. Dupont joined the team and they won both the HSBC SVNS Series and Olympic gold. It’s no coincidence. He’s changing the game.
And the reaction came. Some claimed that Dupont was not the best rugby player in the world at the moment, while others claimed that he was not the best scrum-half of his generation. That accolade went to New Zealand’s Aaron Smith. I will indulge in both controversial statements over a pint of beer.
And there was the odd South African fan who swore that Ruan Pienaaer had more talent in his left boot than Dupont had in his entire being. That wasn’t hard to accept.
Honestly, at times it felt like a step further than the claim that if Gareth Edwards could be cryogenically reverted back to 1973, Dupont would look like a merit league amateur rugby player.
Related: Watch all the Olympic Sevens matches here
The debate was ridiculously vivid, and for those of us who lurk in the shadows of social media only to see it erupt every now and then, it made for a fun evening alongside the Olympic surfing in Tahiti.
Let’s be realistic for a moment. Ultimately, the GOAT debate is a bit silly because if there is a debate, it proves that there is no GOAT. There are some sports where there is no debate. For example, men’s road cycling. Ask anyone who is the greatest of all time and they will say Eddie Merckx. Likewise, in hockey, the only name that comes up is Wayne Gretzky.
No one in rugby has ever shone so brightly on the rest, but that’s okay, that’s really okay. People can say Dupont is the greatest of all time, and others can say it’s someone else. If you think it’s Jonny Wilkinson or Portia Woodman-Wickliffe or Dan Carter, you’ve got a lot more life left in you. It’s a good story to hear after a couple of beers, so keep going.
Antoine Dupont scores a try at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Getty Images/Ryan Pierce)
But what we all need to do in these moments is not to push this debate, but rather to elevate it.
After Dupont took center stage at the world’s biggest sporting event on Saturday, all we had to do was put the pocket rocket Frenchman on a pedestal far above the four walls of our sport. Put him out there for everyone to see and chant his name from the rooftops of Paris.
Related: Watch the full Olympic Sevens match here
Dupont has captured the attention of the world with an audience that goes far beyond Saturday night rugby. If we can captivate, we can protect this sport for future generations. When moments like this come, we should celebrate what makes rugby so great and use its power to grow our game, not use it as an opportunity to denigrate those who disagree with you.
Let’s get together and agree that Dupont is the generational talent of this sport and a great reason to watch rugby. And if you think there’s someone better than Dupont, let’s show them how fantastic this other guy is. Let’s make this a moment of celebration and not denigration. I’m not sure if this sport can afford the latter in the long run.
Anyway, we all know who the greatest rugby player of all time is: Rupeni Kaukaunibuka.
