By David Parsons
Antoine Dupont can’t wait to get back into action in the Guinness Six Nations and he will return to captain Les Bleus against Wales on Friday 31 January.
The Toulouse scrum half missed the 2024 tournament to concentrate on playing Sevens rugby for France at the Olympic Games.
It ended in a gold medal triumph at Stade de France – the same venue at which Wales will open their campaign next week.
Dupont will have waited 685 days to return to the Championship to add to his 55 caps to date and his only regret is his side won’t be playing Wales in Cardiff.
“The loudest stadium in the Six Nations is Cardiff with the roof closed. We have good memories there,” he said at the Six Nations launch in Rome.
“It’s hard to communicate with each other when we’re on the field. But we get goosebumps every time we go there.”
Antoine Dupont en mode gladiateur des temps modernes dans le mythique Colisée à Rome ⚔️
RDV le 31 janvier pour le premier match de notre XV de France contre le Pays de Galles au Stade de France pic.twitter.com/Ebh9xruMd8
— SPORTRICOLORE (@sportricolore) January 22, 2025
As Gatland said, France will start as clear favourites against his Wales side, but Dupont is taking nothing for granted.
He knows that anything is possible in the world’s greatest rugby championship.
“When everyone says you are the favourites you have to be very careful. It is the biggest danger for our team,” said Dupont.
“It will be very important for us to win and to play well in the first game and we have the experience in our side to prepare well.
“Two weeks at Marcoussis before the first match is good, especially with an off weekend, even in the middle of the Top 14. It’s comfort for us and it gives us more time to be at our best for the first match.
“We’re very excited about the Six Nations and we have a lot of ambition. It’s a big challenge for us and I think we have the potential.
“It wasn’t easy to watch the guys playing last year and the results were not what we expected. We finished second and then we had a good series in November, so we must take that momentum into the Six Nations.”
Warren Gatland In Gladiator Mode As Six Nations Warms Up In Rome
