'That dude's a freak' - Ireland wing James Lowe won't miss Antoine Dupont danger in Six Nations

James Lowe says he's not exactly disappointed that Ireland won’t have to deal with Antoine Dupont in this season’s Guinness Six Nations.

The France captain will miss the tournament to take in two legs of the Sevens series as he prepares to mount a bid for Olympic gold in Paris this summer.

The Toulouse scrum-half provided a reminder of what Ireland won’t have to face when he almost single-handedly ran Ulster ragged in a 48-24 Champions Cup win on Saturday night.

He racked up two tries, two assists, 26 carries and 127 metres. That was just what could be counted.

The 27-year-old buzzed around field, busying two or three Ulster defenders at a time, offloading at will and always offering a threat.

The last time Ireland played France away, Dupont scored a crucial early try in a 30-24 victory back in February 2022.

"What a shame," said Lowe with a smile when he spoke to RTÉ Sport on Monday.

"No, that dude’s a freak, he could probably pick up any sport and do all right at it.

"I’m not exactly that disappointed he won’t be playing in the Six Nations."

The IRFU has said that it is open players from the provinces trying out for the Ireland team ahead of the Paris Games but Lowe said he’s just focusing on the main code.

The 31-year-old New Zealand-born wing said: "I dabbled a little bit in Sevens in my late teens.

"I got an invitation to a New Zealand Sevens trials as well through [former coach] Gordon Tietjens but it was my 20s year so I didn’t go to it and then I didn’t make the 20s so it’s a funny world.

"I’m pretty happy playing 15s. Don’t get me wrong, to play in the Olympics would be absolutely amazing.

"There are probably some other boys who have better qualifications to fit more seamlessly into that Sevens role.

"What Dupont is doing is