Genius Dupont ready to lead France at World Cup

PARIS : Antoine Dupont takes the metro when in Paris and his name is one of the country's most banal but everything else about France's Rugby World Cup captain is exceptional.

The 26-year-old, who already has his wax statue at Paris's Grevin Museum and was named the world's best player in 2021 as well as this year's best player of the Six Nations, will be Les Bleus' main weapon in their quest for a maiden World Cup title.

All eyes will be on the bullish scrumhalf when they take on fellow favourites New Zealand in the tournament's curtain-raiser at the Stade de France on Sept. 8 and the Toulouse star will likely deliver.

"The stands are full to watch a player like him. He's French but he's a world class player. He's a little bit like Ronaldo, Mbappe and Messi. If you mix the three of them together, you get Dupont," La Rochelle manager and ex-Ireland flyhalf Ronan O'Gara said after defeat by Toulouse in a Top 14 semi-final last year.

Dupont's physical power, speed and ability to read the game are unmatched and give France an edge over most of their rivals, even if he will have to make do without his preferred flyhalf Romain Ntamack, who is out of the World Cup with a knee injury.

"I saw right away that he had outstanding abilities. I knew he would not struggle. He was able to run down any forward," said Serge Milhas, his coach at Castres Olympique, where Dupont started his professional career in 2014.

Dupont is indeed a mercurial attacking line-breaker, but also a ferocious tackler.

A shy character, he completed his transformation into world-class star after joining Toulouse in 2017. It took him only five years to become France's captain, even though Fabien Galthie could have chosen the more experienced Charles Ollivon.

Before a