Antoine Dupont set to make only second southern hemisphere appearance when Toulouse face Sharks 

Reigning French and European champions Toulouse are set to put a full-strength team out in their away trip to South Africa to face Sharks of Durban after a youthful side was deployed in their 22-19 defeat to La Rochelle last week.

One of the men included in the travelling team is scrum-half Antoine Dupont, the world-renowned scrum-half who is considered as one of the best in the world. 

Teams playing their strongest squad is not normally a newsworthy feat, but in this instance, it will mark Dupont’s only second ever appearance in the southern hemisphere. 

His Test debut for France in 2017 came at Kings Park in Durban against South Africa, the same stadium that Saturday’s fixture will be played.

These 27 minutes played on his debut were the only time he has played down south to date. 

The main reason for this is because of his standing as a premium France international, which gives him certain privileges regarding rest time.

This agreement means that the French Rugby Federation and LNR agree to allow these players more time off and to not have to play in touring teams. 

World Cup impact 

Antoine has travelled outside of Europe since, when he featured in the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

It was not a succesful campaign for Les Bleus, with Wales knocking them out in the quarter-finals thanks to a late Ross Moriarty try and Dan Biggar conversion. 

It may mark the last time that he plays outside of Europe until the 2027 World Cup in Australia, with the nature of fixtures meaning that it is a rare that Toulouse will have a South African team away from home in a European competition. 

France have already announced that a second-string squad is heading on their summer tour of New Zealand this year. 

Failure to perform in the next World Cup may raise questions about France’s preparation and LNR agreement, as having players inexperienced in the climate and style of play in the southern hemisphere may lead to them being under prepared going into the competition. 

GOAT debate 

It raises questions about Dupont’s potential greatest of all time status. While his quality is evident for all to see, being adaptable and able to perform under different conditions is a key component of the GOAT debate. 

Players are looked at more favourably if they have played in different leagues/ continents and managed to maintain high levels. South African fans especially have described Dupont as: ‘The best in Europe but not the world,’ for this reason. 

Some may believe that the lack of success internationally isn’t an issue, as he has captained his country to a Six Nations title as well as getting a gold medal in sevens at the Olympics. 

Winning at Sevens is the only instance where he has won a wholly global tournament, which compared to others in the GOAT debate is limited success, with some even discounting this as it was in a different code of rugby. 

Facing the Sharks is a unique opportunity for the Frenchman to silence critics, something with his stellar France and Toulouse performances have been unable to do thus far because the lack of southern hemisphere rugby hangs over his head. 

After a perfect start to the Champions Cup campaign, a win would effectively cement a top two place in Pool 1 and a home tie in the next round for the Champions Cup holders. 

Durban is expected to be just under 30 degrees celsius on Saturday, with high humidity, aa far cry from 11 degress in Dupont’s native Toulouse. The change in weather provides a challenge, with the possibility of a quieter than usual scrum-half outing for the Toulouse man. 

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