All Blacks’ Scott Barrett on limiting France’s ‘general’ Antoine Dupont

Captain Scott Barrett has emphasised the importance of limiting Antoine Dupont’s impact and executing at the breakdown as the keys to success for the All Blacks ahead of their clash with France at Saint-Denis’ Stade de France in the Autumn Nations Series.

Dupont started in the No. 9 jumper last Sunday in France’s 52-12 win over Eddie Jones’ Japan at that very same venue. That was the 28-year-old’s first Test in the iconic blue jersey since last year’s quarter-final exit at the Rugby World Cup on home soil.

The former World Rugby Player of the Year is considered by most to be the best player of his generation, with some even tossing Dupont’s name up in the eternal ‘GOAT’ debate. Dupont won the Top 14 and Champions Cup with Toulouse earlier this year, and that’s not all either.

Before the Paris Olympics, Dupont switched to rugby sevens and went on to have an incredible impact on that team. The playmaker helped France end their 19-year Cup Final drought on the HSBC SVNS Series, they later won the overall Series title, and went on to claim Olympic gold.

With stunning skills on both sides of the ball, it’s not hard to understand why Dupont has been described as France’s “general” by captain Barrett. The halfback will almost certainly play a key role in France’s quest for a third-straight win over the All Blacks, as the visitors are aware.

“If they’ve got front foot ball, if the ball’s on a plate for Antoine then we’ve seen how classy he can be, he controls their game,” Barrett told reporters.

“On the flip side of that, if we can keep the ball out of his hands, or at least giving him messy ball, then that will go a long way for us in terms of the result.

“If we present those opportunities then he’s going to take them so our defence has got to be really solid around the ruck, and that’s typically the fight five.

“That’s been right at the forefront of our preparation this week.”

If the All Blacks can shut down Dupont and claim victory on Sunday morning (NZST) then they’ll end another long-lasting winless streak on their Northern Tour. They beat Ireland in Dublin for the first time since 2016 last time out, and they’re chasing a similar feat at Stade de France.

New Zealand were beaten by France 27-13 in the opening match at last year’s Rugby World Cup, and that was their second straight defeat at the venue following a 40-25 demolition on November 20, 2021, with Romain Ntamack starring that night.

The All Blacks’ last win against France was a 49-14 win during the July internationals in 2018, which followed their most recent victory over France at the Saint-Denis stadium the previous November. There’s history and revenge on the line this weekend.

On the back of wins over Japan, England and Ireland, New Zealand appear hungry to keep the good times going when they come up against a traditional foe. While they’ve taken “some learnings” out of last year’s defeat, this is a new group looking to forge their own legacy.

“If I reflect on what I’d hoped would’ve been a successful tour at the start of this, it would have been if we improved and got better each week, and we certainly have to be better this week coming up against a French team who have challenged us in recent years,” Barrett said.

“They probably would’ve seen a bit around the breakdown, a few opportunities there, that we were a little bit slow to react or adapt to what Ireland posed last week so that’s been a big focus for us.

“What the French pose, their threats, it’s a big pack, it’s a pack that wants to go at you and they’ve got some classy guys in behind that that can certainly punish you.”