Former France captain and rugby superstar Antoine Dupont has now departed the sport following one final game for Toulouse.
The playmakers side romped to a comfortable 46-26 win against Bayonne, which puts them joint top of the table with Stade Francais.
Dupont is widely held to be one of the greatest rugby union stars currently playing and certainly, deeply influential when it comes to the fortunes of the French national side.
Playing at fly-half yesterday, this was the former France captains final act in the 15 man game before switching his attention to sevens ahead of the 2024 Olympic games in Paris.
As a result he will miss the entire Six Nations and the rest of the Top 14 season.
One fan wrote: “I know a certain team in blue who could have desperately used someone like him a few nights ago.”
A second said: “I think Dupont, after he wins RWC27, should pick a different code/Sport (Rugby League, NFL, soccer, Quidditch etc) per year and try to dominate each one.”
Another commented: “France could have used him Friday night…”
“Competing for an Olympic medal is really motivating,” Dupont told Canal+ at the time of the announcement.
“We’ll have to adjust things. I won’t be able to play all the matches every weekend until the end of the season. Sacrifices will have to be made to be able to spend time with the team.”
âIf in doubt, play onâ â Wayne Barnes call for three changes to âimprove rugbyâ
Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game’s appeal and competitiveness.
Read his full column for The Telegraph by clicking here.
Change one: Referee reviewers must encourage the game to flow
He wrote in his column: “With the game crying out for less stoppages and for more attacking rugby, a general philosophy around allowing the game to flow should be the focus of what the selectors are feeding back to match officials.”
RUCK Judgment: Spot on â it just makes sense that referees are recognised for promoting gameplay rather than enforcing rules to the extent that the game halts more frequently than in American Football.
