Doubt is no longer allowed. Individual statistics, like the Blues’ results, prove that Antoine Dupont has established himself as one of the best players on the planet in rugby 7s.
We should always be wary of jumping to conclusions, but we can say with certainty after just two tournaments that Antoine Dupont has what it takes to shine in rugby sevens and become one of the best players in the discipline.
First up are the collective results, with this fourth place in Vancouver, in what was the first semi-final for the Blues this season on the rugby sevens circuit. And of course, this was a huge confirmation in the process, with a historic victory in Los Angeles, which allowed Jerome Derret’s team to confirm its position as a medal contender at the Paris Olympics.
Impressive figures for DuPont
Individually, then, DuPont agrees with each. Named in the standard squad for the Vancouver tournament in what seemed like a wink to highlight his successful debut on the sevens circuit, the usual scrum-half of France’s XV was once again named in the Ideal Sevens on a dream weekend. Los Angeles, Andy Timo and Pauline Riva with him in the typical team for the Californian stage.
Do you want more? Opta offers two other reasons to believe in this DuPont effect. On the one hand, Stade Toulouse is the player who was involved in the most number of tries over two North American stages (6 tries, 6 assists). And above all, the elusive Dupont is the player with the best tackle avoidance percentage (61%) among the 26 players who have suffered at least 25 tackle attempts. Quite telling, right?
