Antoine Dupont takes his game to unseen levels by winning match out of position
Just when you thought you had seen everything from the reigning Six Nations Player of the Championship and the 2021 World Rugby Player of the Year Antoine Dupont, he goes and raises his game to a completely new level.
The 26-year-old has basically completed playing at scrum-half, so just to prove that he is the best player in the world, he decided to play Lyon out of position at the weekend.
While this was not the plan from the beginning, the Frenchman was forced to played 65 minutes at stand off. Having started on the bench as one of two backs, alongside Thomas Ramos, at the Stade Ernest Wallon, a spate of early injuries meant the pair were forced into action in the first quarter. Injuries to wingers Arthur Retière and Ange Capuozzo forced some back line rejigging, with Dupont coming in at fly-half and Romain Ntamack shifting into the centres.
Now Dupont playing fly-half is not new- it is not his primary position but he has covered there before. But few expected him to put in such an accomplished performance.
The substitute came on with his side under the pump after Lyon had scored two early tries, but orchestrated a comeback to see the Top 14 leaders win 36-31. That included scoring a second half try himself from the fly-half channel where he cut through Lyon’s defence with staggering ease.
Flashy kicks, miss passes, one handed offloads- Dupont’s game had it all and it is yet another reason why he is the best player in the game currently.
Take a look at his performance:
