It can’t be a coincidence. Less than five months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the French rugby sevens team once again won a tournament on the world circuit, last night in Los Angeles, beating Great Britain in the final (21- 0). Since 2005 and a success in Paris, that is to say 19 years, the Blues had no longer experienced the pleasant taste of victory. Their previous six finals had ended in as many defeats. This time, France was able to add the X factor to its well-oiled collective, a player capable of making the difference at any time and whose daily demands have always been contagious.
This player is Antoine Dupont, one of the best, if not the best player in the world of rugby union. The scrum half is sorely lacking in Fabien Galthié’s team in the Six Nations Tournament, but he is having a blast on the other side of the earth. Already third at the Vancouver tournament last weekend by taking on the role of luxury joker, this time he took a much more important part in the success of his team in California during the three days of competition.
Decisive but out of breath during the semi-final against Ireland, Antoine Dupont started the final on the sidelines. “Playing three matches on the same day for my second tournament is difficult,” he admitted. Without him, in the first half, the French team did the job, facing a British team in agony, exhausted and with a very full infirmary. At the start of their meeting, Great Britain only had 10 able-bodied players, a symbol of the demands of this sport.
The French, who are undefeated this season against their opponent (4th victory yesterday), start cautiously, but their collective quality will end up making the difference. At the very end of the first half, Antoine Zeghdar breaks away to flatten in the in-goal (7th). The British, who lost two new players to injury, were at the end of their strength, and preferred to abandon possession and go to touchline, in the middle of the field, while the half-time siren sounded.
In the second half, the French never left any doubt: long work from the Blues and several passes after contact brought Stephen Parez behind the line (9th). There are less than five minutes left to play, France leads 14-0 and Antoine Dupont comes on. The British take a yellow card for a grotesque anti-play gesture, a French foot held to prevent Theo Forner from quickly playing a penalty ( 12th). In numerical superiority, the Blues will increase the score, Dupont setting perfectly to send Forner into the goal (14th).
Stephen Parez was voted best player in the final and expressed his joy: “I don’t even have the words, it’s incredible,” he declared. We grow every day, with every tournament. It’s my 10th year on the circuit, and it’s my first victory in the final, I’m so happy. » The next tournament in Hong Kong (April 5 to 7) will be played without Antoine Dupont, who is at Stade Toulousain. And in less than five months, there are the Olympic Games, for which France is already qualified as the organizing country.
