Alexis Bourdon, edited by Philippe Folgado // Photo credit: Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP
This sixth day of the Top 14 saw the return of Antoine Dupont to the French rugby championship. A month after the disappointment of elimination in the quarter-finals at the Rugby World Cup and despite his status as a substitute, the captain of the French XV was eagerly awaited by his supporters.
It was the event of the day at Ernest Vallon, the grounds of Stade Toulousain, the return of Antoine Dupont with his team, a month after the painful elimination in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup against South Africa. Several hours before the start of the match against Perpignan, the red and black public were already impatient at the idea of seeing their star set foot on the pitch again.
“He remains the best player in the world”
“We are very happy with their return, in particular that of Antoine Dupont because he is still the flagship player of Stade Toulousain. We are especially waiting for the atmosphere that there will be when we chant his name. We especially wait for that,” confides a Toulouse supporter. For this red and black supporter, “it’s good to see our little Dupont in good shape again”.
A warm welcome was even given to him when the lineups were announced in the stadium. But it was when he came into play in the 46th minute that the Toulouse public celebrated their playing master. For this return to the championship, Antoine Dupont played without a helmet. A convincing entry for this supporter: “I think he still made a little difference in the duels, because you can still see the difference with an international and he remains the best player in the world.”
The captain of the Blues and Stade Toulousain was able to fully enjoy his return to competition, they won 43 to 34 against Perpignan.