Iconic scrum-half Sir Gareth Edwards talked to Sir Clive Woodward about France ace Antoine Dupont – who has been the star of this yr’s Six Nations.
The 2021 rugby participant of the yr winner is on the cusp of successful France a grand slam within the Six Nations.
The 25-year-old will then look to guide his nation into the World Cup subsequent yr on house soil.
Iconic scrum-half Sir Gareth Edwards spoke to Sir Clive Woodward about Antoine Dupont
The 2021 rugby participant of the yr Dupont (pictured) has been the star of this yr’s Six Nations
CLIVE WOODWARD: Good morning Gareth, right here we’re in the course of one other Six Nations and Antoine Dupont is as soon as once more the title on all people’s lips. It’s been a really very long time since I can recall such common acclaim over one participant. He’s clearly a fairly distinctive, inspirational scrum-half. He fascinates me however because the previous grasp, what do you make of him Gareth?
GARETH EDWARDS: As you say Clive, what a participant. He’s an uncommon combine in that he can actually do all of it. He’s an especially competent, clever, all-round rugby participant who can be blessed with very particular abilities and attributes — unbelievable power for a small man, a steam piston hand off, nice tempo when he wants it, the toughness to soak up large hits and that spatial consciousness and anticipation to know the place he must be in 5 and ten seconds time. I suppose we name that intuition.
Clive, we’re each previous PE grads and we are able to each recognise that he’s a little bit of a gymnast. I half count on him to throw in a few tumbles and handsprings when he jogs again to midway after scoring a strive. He has acquired that capacity to bounce again and instantly discover his stability it doesn’t matter what the state of affairs.
Gareth Edwards (pictured) warmly hailed Dupont as ‘extraordinarily competent’ and ‘clever’
Beneath all of it although is a participant that has whole command of rugby’s fundamentals — passing, kicking, working and tackling. I acquired to play in opposition to all types of good scrum-halves and have watched all the very best since I retired however there aren’t many, if any, who haven’t any weaknesses. What about you Clive, along with your teaching hat on, have you ever seen an achilles heel?
CW: No, not but! I might additionally add he has at all times appeared mature past his years and I might give credit score to France in that respect for throwing him and Romain Ntamack into the 2019 World Cup. It didn’t essentially finish effectively with France imploding and shedding a quarter-final in opposition to Wales that they need to have gained but it surely was a harsh lesson he would have taken on board.
GE: Completely. Considering again, I solely tasted victory twice in my first 9 Exams for Wales and the Lions. None of us in that Wales group that turned Grand Slam winners have been the completed articles once we began our Check careers. All of us needed to soak up defeats and disappointments and there was extra the place that got here from once we acquired trounced in a two Check collection in New Zealand in 1969. We solely actually began to blossom after that. It’s an analogous story with most groups that ultimately get pleasure from success.
CW: I’m a powerful believer in studying these classes early. It’s simpler to take them on board earlier than you change into too set in your methods, earlier than…
GE: Sorry to interrupt Clive, however is it me or is Dupont extremely calm and undemonstrative? I wouldn’t wish to play playing cards in opposition to him, that’s for certain! He has that sport face of his and the masks doesn’t slip for the total 80 minutes. There’s at all times a giant smile when he scores however that’s it, he stays on the case, doesn’t become involved in any niggle or again chat and doesn’t go in for histrionics. He’s remorseless in the way in which that the nice Kiwis are.
CW: Completely, he doesn’t get distracted from the enterprise in hand — which is successful rugby matches and titles. He’s accomplished it with Toulouse who gained the French title and European Cup double final season and now he desires success for France.
GE: He appears an awesome man off the sector too. There’s a whiff of old fashioned about him. I’ve been fortunate sufficient to fulfill him a few instances, most lately when Midi Oympique invited me over for his or her finish of yr awards. He was modest and relaxed and clearly the lifetime of soul of the gathering and I think he’s additionally a giant character inside the French group. When Toulouse or France win he at all times posts an image of them having fun with a beer and a tune. He strikes me as a man who smells the roses on the way in which. He appears to get pleasure from life.
He leads by instance on the pitch and units the tone of excellence. He has been a mannequin professional from his early days with Castres proper by means of to his inevitable transfer to Toulouse.
Sir Clive additionally requested about why it is at all times France’s No 9 that’s very important to their group
CW: Let’s open up the dialog just a little Gareth and the $64,000 greenback query as to why, in French rugby, is it at all times the 9 that runs the present whether or not he’s the captain or not. For many sides it’s the fly-half and the midfield mixture with 12 specifically seeming to draw all of the media consideration and debate however the 9 has at all times been King in France. Each nice France group options an awesome 9.
GE: Good query, in my time I by no means confronted a foul France scrum-half. For what it’s price, I at all times felt the nines first responsibility in France was to work with and marshall his forwards — no matter whether or not they had good attacking abilities themselves. They appear to their pack first which inevitably means the 9 makes all the large calls. They run the present.
CW: I’m certain there’s a lot in that and the truth that you could have a really advantageous former France scrum-half — Fabian Galthie — teaching the facet lately and one other pure scrum-half in Shaun Edwards — capped by England colleges at 9 — because the second in command sees all three singing from the identical hymn sheet. I’m wondering what the collective noun is for a gathering of scrum-halves…
Former France scrum-half Fabian Galthie (centre, proper) is teaching the French facet
GE: I do not know however it could be a really noisy gathering!
CW: What of the France nines you performed in opposition to Gareth? You have to have come up in opposition to an attention-grabbing array of characters and gamers.
GE: Did I ever Clive. The primary I encountered was Lillian Camberabero after I made my debut in 1967. Lilian was a kind of French scrum-halves who had all of the tips. The razzle dazzle behind your again, Harlem Globetrotters stuff. He may have performed ten for France besides his brother Man was already there! France have been actually constructing one thing good and we misplaced to them in 1967 and 1968 when Lilian was working the present. However after their 1968 Slam he appeared to exit of favour and a man referred to as Gerard Sutra got here in.
CW: That’s a brand new title to me, was he any good?
GE: Very. He went effectively in opposition to us once we drew in Paris however then he was out after simply 4 Exams. Taking part in 9 comes with its personal pressures in France —you may be out in a blink if the selectors take in opposition to you. Marcel Pujet was the following I confronted. Now he was an actual unit, a form of French Mike Phillips and I used to be pondering we had some robust years forward in opposition to him circa 1970 when he was nearly France’s participant of the yr and tipped for the highest however one thing occurred and, like Sutra, he simply appeared to vanish.
Then got here Max Barrau who was very neat and tidy, in all probability essentially the most full all-round again behind the scrum for France. He may have performed in any place. We beat them 9-5 in 1971 to win our first slam — you would possibly suppose it was a stodgy previous sport however a mate despatched me the footage lately and it was a superb sport with as a lot working because the 1973 Barbarians traditional and it was solely savage tackling that stored the rating down. Max had an awesome sport that day.
CW: When did Jacques Fouroux come into the equation?
GE: He was subsequent however one. First was Michel Pebeyre, an excellent participant. They beat us on the Parc the yr I performed in opposition to him however he didn’t final lengthy. Then got here my previous mate Jacques who was a terrific participant and unbelievable bloke — ‘Le petite generale’. He was barely half the dimensions of among the large beasts up entrance however he handled them like a foul tempered farmer herding his reluctant cattle into the milking shed! He had whole management of that mighty French pack and he captained with a rod iron.
Off the pitch he was a bigger than life character, nonetheless within the Napoleonic mould and a delight. His popularity went earlier than him — however what a rugby mind. He captained France to a slam and coached them to at least one as effectively. There’s not a lot of these fellas round.
CW: Time has flown Gareth, we should wrap it up there however you’ve left us some nice names to ponder. The previous black and white footage is all coming again to me with Invoice McLaren’s commentary within the background. Dupont appears an amalgam of virtually all these gamers you point out plus he has that X-factor that solely the greats have. He’s a phenomenon and continues to be solely 25!
GE: He’s a participant we are able to all get pleasure from, he’s nice for the sport.
