"Sacrifice" - Antoine Dupont steps down from rugby union following final game for Toulouse
Rugby NewsSunday, 04 February 2024 at 19:24
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."
“If in doubt, play on” – Wayne Barnes call for three changes to ‘improve rugby’
Discover the three significant changes Barnes advocates for rugby union in the current landscape, aiming to enhance the game's appeal and competitiveness.
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 – 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.
Referee, Wayne Barnes during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Match between Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby at Ashton Gate on 29 Jan. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Change two: Only penalise attack at breakdown if defence squeaky clean
He wrote: "Nothing sucks the life out of a stadium more than a promising attack being stopped by a referee’s whistle for a technical side entry or, even worse, an attacker going off their feet even if the contest is already lost.
"One of the officials who will referee during this tournament penalised the attack 72 per cent of the time at the breakdowns during the World Cup.
"That means three out of the four times his whistle went, it was against the attack, killing the flow of the game."
RUCK Judgment: Easier in theory than in practice. In a perfect world, we would concur with Wayne.
Manu Tuilagi of England is shown a red card and sent off by Referee, Ben O'Keeffe during the Guinness Six Nations Match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on March 7 2020. - PHOTO: Cameron Geran/PPAUK
Change three: If in doubt, play on
He wrote: "With an average of 200 breakdowns, 10 scrums and 20 line-outs, a referee will make around 230 decisions during a match. The majority of time he or she will be asking themselves, “do I need to blow my whistle and stop the game?”
"Whenever there is any doubt as to whether there was an infringement or not, the referee should resist blowing their whistle and help to improve the game’s flow."
RUCK Judgment: Absolutely right - adhering to the age-old adage of 'let the boys play.'
Referee, Paul Williams during the Six Nations Championship, Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on February 4th 2023. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Can you name every player to score a hat-trick in the Six Nations?
In the thrilling world of the Guinness Six Nations, there's nothing quite like the euphoria of bagging a hat-trick.
Get your tickets for the 2024 Six Nations at viagogo, the world’s leading ticket marketplace. Ticket start from £27.
This extraordinary feat is as scarce as they come, with only 20 players accomplishing the remarkable three-try milestone since the Championship expanded to six nations in 2000.
Notably, a couple of players have even pulled off this astonishing feat twice, adding an extra layer of prestige to their rugby prowess.
Now, take a moment to rewind and test your memory. Can you recall the names of these exceptional hat-trick heroes?
If you manage a perfect score, you'll undoubtedly be entitled to a celebration on par with the jubilant antics witnessed by some of the stars on this illustrious list.
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