ANTOINE DUPONT MAY have diplomatically batted away any suggestion of ill-will towards Tadhg Beirne in recent weeks. With Andrew Porter also involved, it was the Munsterman’s inadvertent clearout that went some way to shredding the French captain’s ACL in last year’s iteration of this fixture.
Where Dupont refused to go, L’Équipe, the French sports daily, was more than happy to stick its stirring ladle. This was, after all, the return of the great man to l’équipe de France for the first time since that brutal injury. It’s been a long nine months.
In Thursday’s paper, a comic on the back page was entitled ‘Le Plan anti-Dupont de l’Irlande’. A red, angry figure (take Dupont’s cheekbones and add the colouring of Manchester United’s red devil mascot) cried ‘Vengeance’. France hammered Ireland last year. What, exactly, could he be looking to avenge?
Before the small yet mighty hero lay two Irish players. A speech bubble emanated from one figure clad in green – ‘Trouver un un trèfle a quatre feuilles et vite!’ (Find a four-leaf clover, quick).
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Come on lads, we get our luck from a shamrock, not a clover. It’s literally on the crest of the jerseys you’re playing against tonight.
Anyway, one of the hapless clover-hunters was wearing a scrum cap. Remind me again, which Irish second row sports such protective headgear?
Any attempt at subtlety in the paper’s artwork did not extend to its prose. In the main scene-setter for Thursday’s Six Nations opener, Renaud Bourel woke up and chose violence. Here’s a rough translation: “A more or less (in)voluntary hullabaloo from Tadhg Beirne on Antoine Dupont’s knee…”
His use of brackets, not mine.
Any attempt to paint Beirne as public enemy number one didn’t extend to the pre-match introductions. Rien de boos from the Stade de France faithful. Dupont, unsurprisingly was given one hell of a welcome. So too, it should be said, were Messieurs Jalibert and Ramos. France has plenty of stars.
Dupont kicked 18 times as he orchestrated France's win with his boot. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
It was that supporting cast which took the surface-level plaudits on Thursday. France’s kick-heavy, chaos-manufacturing, transition-dominant gameplan lends itself to those located much wider than Dupont. Yet it is he who sets the whole thing off, his work with the boot crucial when creating the opportunities finished by Louis Bielle-Biarrey and co.
For all of his world-class qualities, Dupont’s kicking game is probably the least-heralded. It was what France called upon to initiate this drubbing. His first touches were all via the boot. A solid clearance to touch off the opening kick-off. A second box-kick, batted back by Theo Attisogbé, should have led to a trademark zero-ruck try as Yoram Moefana, Thomas Ramos and LBB attacked a disorganised Irish line with glee. Charles Ollivon’s spill spoiled the party.
No matter, Dupont’s decision-making would eventually lead to French scores. A five-metre scrum with a blindside in part covered by Sam Prendergast proved more than appealing. Dupont chose wisely, attacked the short side and gifted Jalibert a score.
After half-time, he was at it again. Another of his box-kicks was batted back on the French side. Preferring chaos over safe possession, Dupont slapped a bouncing ball towards his playmakers rushing up from the backfield. Moments later, eyeing space in the well-manipulated Irish backfield, another clever kick from the scrum-half resulted in Bielle-Biarrey adding his second.
Dupont celebrates with Louis Bielle-Biarrey . Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Perhaps fortunate not to see a deliberate knock-on lead to a yellow card during Ireland’s mini-comeback, Dupont nonetheless reigned supreme. Shorn of the highlight, try-scoring support lines on this occasion, he still forced the game to unfold according to his will.
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It may well be a portent of things to come in this era of French rugby, Dupont satisfied to dominate with the boot rather than ball in hand. He kicked 18 times on the night; the next highest for France was Jalibert on seven.
Or perhaps he will still find ways of joining in on everyone else’s broken-field fun. Dupont has many ways of dominating proceedings, some perhaps more obvious than others. A sign of the game long being up, he was taken off with seven minutes to go. A rare sight.
After 11 months away from the international stage, Dupont remains an inevitable force.
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With the boot, or with ball in hand – Antoine Dupont remains an inevitable force
ANTOINE DUPONT MAY have diplomatically batted away any suggestion of ill-will towards Tadhg Beirne in recent weeks. With Andrew Porter also involved, it was the Munsterman’s inadvertent clearout that went some way to shredding the French captain’s ACL in last year’s iteration of this fixture.
Where Dupont refused to go, L’Équipe, the French sports daily, was more than happy to stick its stirring ladle. This was, after all, the return of the great man to l’équipe de France for the first time since that brutal injury. It’s been a long nine months.
In Thursday’s paper, a comic on the back page was entitled ‘Le Plan anti-Dupont de l’Irlande’. A red, angry figure (take Dupont’s cheekbones and add the colouring of Manchester United’s red devil mascot) cried ‘Vengeance’. France hammered Ireland last year. What, exactly, could he be looking to avenge?
Before the small yet mighty hero lay two Irish players. A speech bubble emanated from one figure clad in green – ‘Trouver un un trèfle a quatre feuilles et vite!’ (Find a four-leaf clover, quick).
Come on lads, we get our luck from a shamrock, not a clover. It’s literally on the crest of the jerseys you’re playing against tonight.
Anyway, one of the hapless clover-hunters was wearing a scrum cap. Remind me again, which Irish second row sports such protective headgear?
Any attempt at subtlety in the paper’s artwork did not extend to its prose. In the main scene-setter for Thursday’s Six Nations opener, Renaud Bourel woke up and chose violence. Here’s a rough translation: “A more or less (in)voluntary hullabaloo from Tadhg Beirne on Antoine Dupont’s knee…”
His use of brackets, not mine.
Any attempt to paint Beirne as public enemy number one didn’t extend to the pre-match introductions. Rien de boos from the Stade de France faithful. Dupont, unsurprisingly was given one hell of a welcome. So too, it should be said, were Messieurs Jalibert and Ramos. France has plenty of stars.
It was that supporting cast which took the surface-level plaudits on Thursday. France’s kick-heavy, chaos-manufacturing, transition-dominant gameplan lends itself to those located much wider than Dupont. Yet it is he who sets the whole thing off, his work with the boot crucial when creating the opportunities finished by Louis Bielle-Biarrey and co.
For all of his world-class qualities, Dupont’s kicking game is probably the least-heralded. It was what France called upon to initiate this drubbing. His first touches were all via the boot. A solid clearance to touch off the opening kick-off. A second box-kick, batted back by Theo Attisogbé, should have led to a trademark zero-ruck try as Yoram Moefana, Thomas Ramos and LBB attacked a disorganised Irish line with glee. Charles Ollivon’s spill spoiled the party.
No matter, Dupont’s decision-making would eventually lead to French scores. A five-metre scrum with a blindside in part covered by Sam Prendergast proved more than appealing. Dupont chose wisely, attacked the short side and gifted Jalibert a score.
After half-time, he was at it again. Another of his box-kicks was batted back on the French side. Preferring chaos over safe possession, Dupont slapped a bouncing ball towards his playmakers rushing up from the backfield. Moments later, eyeing space in the well-manipulated Irish backfield, another clever kick from the scrum-half resulted in Bielle-Biarrey adding his second.
Perhaps fortunate not to see a deliberate knock-on lead to a yellow card during Ireland’s mini-comeback, Dupont nonetheless reigned supreme. Shorn of the highlight, try-scoring support lines on this occasion, he still forced the game to unfold according to his will.
It may well be a portent of things to come in this era of French rugby, Dupont satisfied to dominate with the boot rather than ball in hand. He kicked 18 times on the night; the next highest for France was Jalibert on seven.
Or perhaps he will still find ways of joining in on everyone else’s broken-field fun. Dupont has many ways of dominating proceedings, some perhaps more obvious than others. A sign of the game long being up, he was taken off with seven minutes to go. A rare sight.
After 11 months away from the international stage, Dupont remains an inevitable force.
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Antoine Dupont Blue Bolter Six Nations Ireland Le Martien Rugby France