Rugby
French great Dupont expects intense battle in Durban─── MORGAN PIEK 14:30 Fri, 10 Jan 2025
The French Top 14 and European rugby giants, Stade Toulousain (Toulouse), are bracing for the heat and an intense battle on Saturday as they face the Sharks in Durban during round three of the Champions Cup.
The defending and six-time champions, Toulouse, will be playing in Durban for the first time, and they have sent their strongest possible team to South Africa for the game, which will feature several Springboks on the Sharks’ side.
For the visitors from France, the match could hold special significance. Many of their players were part of the French team that lost to the Springboks during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, where South Africa edged out the host nation 29-28 at Stade de France in Paris.
The visitors included French and world rugby great Antoine Dupont, who had the ability to change the course of a match in the blink of an eye. Dupont is widely regarded, particularly in the northern hemisphere, as one of the finest, if not the finest, players ever to have played the game.
The former World Rugby Player of the Year (2021) and Olympic gold medallist (2024) Dupont told OFM Sport that they would need to take the game to the Springbok-laden Sharks.
“Yes, especially in their spirit, they want to impose their game and put a lot of pressure on us, as the Springboks are able to do at the international level,” said Dupont ahead of the game at the same venue where he made his French debut back in 2017.
“There are a lot of players who play with the Springboks as well, so we can expect the same thing. They will want to put a lot of pressure on us, with a rush defence and a lot of physicality in every contact, and we’ve tried to prepare for that.
Antoine Dupont during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final against the Springboks in Paris. Photo: World Rugby
“We expect a nearly packed stadium and a lot of intensity on the pitch, but also off the pitch. We know how much South Africans love the Springboks and their rugby. There are a lot of Springboks in the Sharks team, so we expect that. And as I said, a lot of physicality and intensity throughout the game.”
Saturday’s game at Kings Park in Durban kicks off at 17:15.
In other games featuring South African teams in the Champions Cup, the Stormers will face the Sale Sharks from England at 15:00 on Saturday at the Cape Town Stadium, while at 22:00, the French Top 14 team Castres will take on the Bulls at Stade Pierre-Fabre.
OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh
