Entering the second half in the final won against Great Britain (21-0), Antoine Dupont largely participated, through his attempts and his dazzling performances, in the gold medal won by France at the tournament of Los Angeles. A good omen just over four months before the Olympics, where the Blues will be chasing the same metal.
“Second 7s tournament and first gold medal for you….
I’m just super happy, proud of the team. This is only my second tournament but I know they have been working for a while. There have been finals, but there has not yet been the title that we have been waiting for for a while (2005) to validate the work that has been done and to gain confidence as we approach the deadlines which are arriving this summer (world circuit final in Madrid in June, then Olympics in July).
The French team really mastered this final against Great Britain…
We knew that they had had a complicated journey, a lot of injuries and not many people on the substitutes’ bench so that we would have some freshness in the second half. It was visible from the start, we mastered it well. Even though we didn’t have the ball, we didn’t make too many mistakes, we lost ground but we didn’t take a try. We were consistent in defense, we didn’t panic and we scored as soon as we had possessions.
We felt that you had pushed yourself to the limit physically?
The quarter and a half was very hard! In the quarter-finals, with the red card we had to hold possession and physically we went to our limits. In the half, I had two sprints in the first two actions which made my first half complicated (laughs). That’s also the 7th! This sport is incredible, the physical capacity has a huge weight, but also the ability to not give up. We saw it against Ireland when we caught the last guy, which forced him to score in the corner and made them miss the conversion.
“I was able to test myself in all conditions, play very big matches, have more playing time. Now I will have a good week to rest and it will not hurt me! »
You believed in this team! If they had not been ranked fourth in the world last year, you would perhaps not have attempted this Olympic adventure, you suspected the potential of these players…
I got involved in this Olympic project to get a medal, obviously of this color (gold). I knew the guys were capable of it, they have been progressing for several seasons and above all, when they are at their best, they are capable of beating all the teams. I saw him at tournaments, I knew there was this potential and that history had to turn out for us. This was the case in this tournament and it will do us a lot of good for the future.
What personal assessment do you draw from these two tournaments?
I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. Connecting two tournaments with days like yesterday (Saturday) with three matches, getting up at 6 a.m. and coming home at 9:30 p.m., these are very tough days, especially since the quarter was very physically tough. I was able to test myself in all conditions, play very big matches, have more playing time. Now I will have a good week to rest and it will not hurt me (he smiles).
You have also found your place in this group, which has known each other for a long time…
I was very well received. It’s a group that lives very well. We really feel that they love each other, you can feel it in everyday life, there’s a good atmosphere, they’re messing around, they’re laughing, but as soon as we’re on the field everyone is hyper focused because everyone is very ambitious and aware of the team’s potential.
How much value do you place on your first victory at 7?
It’s super strong even if it’s only my second tournament. I suspect that it is much stronger for Paulin (Riva) or Steph (Parez-Edo Martin) who have been there for years. When you see how difficult tournaments are, you really have to be able to enjoy when it works. You have to take advantage of these moments because they are rare.
“We are a very ambitious group who want to give ourselves the means to win this medal this summer. We are all in this perspective, to work hard”
People will say that Dupont is coming and that France is winning, but it’s more complicated than that…
Maybe people will say it but it’s more a combination of circumstances. Last year, they finished fourth on the circuit and I wasn’t there, so they are capable. In Perth, they gave the Blacks 30 points in the group without me. Before it was more the result of flashes but now we are capable of beating any team but also of being good over time, in the sequence of matches.
You will return to the club and you will only return to 7 for the final of the circuit in Madrid at the end of May. How will you continue your preparation, remotely?
Like I did between the end of the World Cup and my first internship with them. I have a weekly discussion with Jérôme Daret (the coach) and the physical trainer to get supplements and stay in the rhythm. I will also have an internship period with them before Madrid and spend a full week with them. Now I have a lot more automatisms and reflexes, it will be much easier for me to reintegrate into the group.
The expectation around this French team had already gone up a notch with your arrival, but this will be increased tenfold by this gold medal…
We are a very ambitious group who want to give ourselves the means to win this medal this summer. We are all in this perspective, to work hard. There are still months, tournaments to go, but we all have that in our sights, with the goal of doing something big. »
