Six Nations: Six plays that defined the 2025 Championship
There were several moments during the tournament that reminded everyone of the fallacy of Antoine Dupont, the French semi-final.
In the match against Wales, he introduced Prime Ball directly to the French stage. He juggled a relatively simple pass against England, his pity.
He suffered a knee ligament injury to Ireland and succumbed to Bain’s weight when ruptured, reminding us of his mortality rate.
But there are also many glimpses of his greatness, which, in his absence, lost to France for all agents Maxime Lucu’s passing and the speed of the territorial kick.
Dupont used the kick-off to bypass a defense that held the French power tightly, which gave them another aspect.
In the French Championship Opening, DuPont picked up the ball, extended the ball from the side and then stepped back after their heavy brigade defeated the stubborn Welsh defence.
For most coaches, this is a basic sin. But this attracted Welsh defensive forwards, and when Dupont entered the far wing, Josh Adams got his feet out and couldn’t stop Theo Attissogbe from partying and won the first of 30 French attempts in the game.
In DuPont’s absence, France even deployed this strategy in defense, Louis Bielle-Biarrey widened to the opposite wings Damian Penaud during his bold exit to Ireland.
No other team can deploy the policy accurately.
