When Antoine Dupont sat on the stage of the press conference, after the match lost against South Africa (29 to 28), Sunday October 15, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint- Denis), his gaze was still full of frustration, sadness and, even, anger. The captain of the XV of France, back only three weeks after a broken cheekbone, was unable to avoid elimination. Victory in the World Cup quarter-finals flew by for a team that an entire country hoped would see lift the Webb Ellis Trophy on October 28.
The announcement of his tenure had, however, made the week of preparation for this meeting against the formidable Springboks, title holders, lighter. French people are “serene because Antoine has returned”, laughed hooker Peato Mauvaka. A truth disguised as a joke. The presence of the usual number 9 “changes a lot of things and gives us a lot of confidence. We know that he is capable of great differences and that he inspires fear in adversaries”, specified his teammate at the hinge, the opener Matthieu Jalibert. His playing partners were not the only ones waiting for him: the hope that his return had given rise to was also measured by the noise at the Stade de France, at the announcement of his name on Sunday evening.
Especially since all the lights seemed green. “I am at full capacity in my game and my means on a physical and technical level”, assured the main interested party before the match. At the request of his surgeon, the captain of the Blues had put on a helmet. This was the only notable change for the scrum-half. Because despite the pressure from an entire country, three weeks without playing and the apprehension of a weakened cheekbone at the mercy of the South African golgoths, number 9 delivered a very high level performance.
Decisive in the first half, in difficulty afterwards
From the first minutes of play, on his third ball, Antoine Dupont sent a short kick over the Springboks defense, immediately recovered by Matthieu Jalibert. Immediately afterwards, he made a foot pass into the empty space on the edge of the touchline to put the South African defense under pressure. A few seconds later, the scrum-half shifted winger Damian Penaud, forcing their opponents to concede a throw-in. And, after a devastating French maul, the number 9 of the Blues judiciously chose the short side for Cyril Baille’s first try (4e).
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