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Antoine Dupont magic not enough in his first sevens tournament
By PA
Antoine Dupont was unable to inspire France to sevens silverware as New Zealand edged them out in the semi-finals of the HSBC SVNS event in Vancouver.
France’s regular 15-a-side captain, whose late try fired his country into the last four on Saturday in a quarter-final win over Ireland, has opted to skip the Guinness Six Nations in order to focus on playing sevens ahead of this summer’s Olympics in Paris.
France missed scrum-half Dupont’s skills earlier on Sunday as Les Bleus were stunned in a 13-13 Six Nations draw with unfancied Italy in Lille.
But the 2021 men’s world player of the year, playing in his first sevens tournament, had to settle for a third-place play-off in Canada as New Zealand beat France 28-26 in a high quality sevens contest.
New Zealand took control of the semi-final after early tries from Cody Vai and Akuila Rokolisoa gave them a 14-5 interval advantage.
Jordan Sepho’s try helped France cut the lead to 14-12, but New Zealand stretched away again before consolation scores from Rayan Rebbadj and Joseph Jefferson Lee.
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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