France Sevens star reveals how 'Humble' Antoine Dupont inspired Paris Olympic Gold

However, none will ever match winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics for France two years ago in front of a packed home crowd.

Parez had the added bonus of playing with the great Antoine Dupont, whose passion for Sevens and representing his country at the home-hosted Games saw him miss an entire Six Nations Championship to prepare.

Two years on, Parez is once again part of an innovative new chapter for the sport, this time with Albion Athletic in the inaugural Ultimate Sevens Championship.

After a frustrating opening weekend in Cardiff, the Frenchman played a key role as Albion bounced back in Biarritz to claim the men's title.

“Antoine Dupont is an extraordinary player, but he is so easygoing, humble, and such a hard worker,” Parez says.

“It was a pleasure to have him in our team. He makes everything much easier because he has all the experience of great games when there is a lot of pressure. He comes from a winning culture. Playing alongside him was so enjoyable.

“He was very inspiring to play with because he made everyone else raise their game. We played better because we played with him. We didn’t want to let him down! We wanted to show the world how good we could be.

“It was a great adventure. When we won it [Paris Olympic Gold] was very emotional, very intense. My family was there but it was difficult finding them in 80,000 people in the crowd.

“All the fans wanted to see him so if you are next to him people are going to see you too. You cannot let yourself or the team down. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with him in Paris at the Olympics.

“Winning the gold medal was the best moment of my life. I played in Rio in 2016, so I know how difficult it is to win a medal.

“It was the best moment of your life. It’s difficult to describe the feelings and the emotion. To play in France and in Paris was so powerful and it definitely helped us to win. To win and share that feeling with the French crowd was incredible, insane even.”

Parez's next challenge was very different. Albion Athletic were knocked out in the opening round in Cardiff, losing 19-12 to Pacific Current, leaving Parez frustrated after travelling to the Welsh capital expecting far more from the new competition.

“Cardiff was very frustrating; we only played one game,” he said.

“But it was very interesting to play a new format of rugby 7s. It was great to play with players who we are used to playing against.

“Even when you just play one match with these guys the levels are insane as is the training beforehand. The more we play together the better we will get and also, it is important we have fun.”

That patience was rewarded a week later. Back on home soil in Biarritz, The Frenchman helped Albion produce one of the biggest turnarounds of the Championship, beating Sol Feroz 20-12 before sweeping past Clan Taran 21-5 in the semi-final.

They then produced their strongest defensive display of the tournament to shut out Pacific Current 13-0 and lift the men's trophy. For Parez, the Biarritz triumph provided the response Albion had been looking for after Cardiff.

The Frenchman had spoken beforehand about wanting to enjoy the experience more with his new teammates, and the result suggested the group was beginning to find the continuity that had been missing in Wales.

“I can’t wait to enjoy more on the field with them because I’m sure we can really appreciate to play together and have fun on the pitch,” he said after Cardiff.

Now Albion head to London as one of the men's teams carrying genuine momentum into the Grand Final.

The final takes place at Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Thursday, September 24, bringing the inaugural Championship to a close.

For Parez, the prospect of playing in London carries particular significance.

“It will be fast and furious,” he said. “Fans will enjoy the city. I am very excited about playing there. And I want to win.”