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Watch: Toulouse No9 bags four tries in first game without Dupont
By Josh Raisey
Antoine Dupont made quite a statement in his final match for Toulouse against Bayonne at the beginning of the month before he teamed up with the France Sevens squad.
The former France captain put on a creative masterclass in a 46-26 win, playing in his more unfamiliar role of fly-half.
Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola would have been fearing how his team would cope without the 2021 World Rugby player of the year, particularly with much of his squad with France during the Guinness Six Nations as well.
The pressure was on Dupont's half-back partner against Bayonne, Paul Graou, to step up in his absence. That is exactly what the No9 did against Oyonnax on Saturday as he went and bagged four tries at the Stade Ernset-Wallon.
The 26-year-old scrum-half was at centre stage in Toulouse's 61-24 win, filling the void left by Dupont adroitly.
His quartet of tries showed exactly what he is capable of as well- quick thinking, individual brilliance and support play. His first try looked markedly similar to a Dupont finish, as Graou was on hand to collect a pop from centre Pita Ahki.
It was Garou's third try that was the most impressive though, as he followed a classy one-handed catch with a grubber kick to seal his hat-trick.
Take a look at his tries:
It was a performance by Toulouse that leaves them in second place in the Top 14, level on points with leaders Stade Francais, ahead of facing eighth place ASM Clermont Auvergne on Sunday. Stade Francais face fourth place Racing 92 on Saturday at La Defense in the Parisian derby, meaning the top of the table could look very different come the end of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Dupont is gearing up to make his France Sevens debut this weekend in the HSBC Vancouver SVNS.
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Latest Comments
Get world rugby to buy a few Islands in the Mediterranean. Name them Rugby Island #1, #2, #3 etc. All teams are based there all season and as the knockouts progress, losers go home for a few months rest. Sell the TV rights to any and all.
Have an open ballot/lottery each week to fly fans out to fill the stadiums. They get to enter the draw if they pay their taxes and avoid crime which would encourage good social engagement from rugby supporters as responsible citizens. The school kids get in the draw if they are applying themselves at school and reaching their potential.
Or maybe there is some magic way to prioritise both domestic rugby and international rugby by having the same players playing for 12 months of the year...
Go to commentsPerhaps he would have been better off going under the knife earlier, rather than travelling to Europe to hold tackle bags.
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