RUGBY ANALYSIS | Why is Antoine Dupont the WORLD'S BEST 9?

After defying the odds to place 2nd in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, French Rugby went backwards for a long time. Antoine Dupont, who debuted in 2017 however, has been the face of their renaissance and performed extremely well as their new captain, he's a three-time Six Nations Player of the Tournament and won World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021. But how did Dupont fit into the improvements made by France and what in-game elements separate him from the other world-class halfbacks in 2023? Make sure you watch this entire video to find out!
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction
1:27 - Dupont’s Place in French History - the Dark Ages
3:24 - Dupont’s Test Debut - Light at the End of the Tunnel
5:31 - Dupont’s Place in French History - the Renaissance
7:25 - Ad Break 1
7:26 - Dupont’s Signature Performance vs Wales
12:25- Dupont’s support lines
15:27 - Ad Break 2
15:28 - Dupont’s kicking game
19:02 - Dupont’s physical strength
21:48 - Conclusion & Thanks to Patrons
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[@RugbyWithMax]

This video will come out on 19th June 2023 (NZ time), but is available to all of my Patrons early over on Patreon! If you can afford to support me over there, it will be hugely appreciated. The link is just here: patreon.com/theblackjersey6

[@bhljuju]

Absolutely world-class player

[@RugbyWithMax]

You’re on the money there mate!

[@nico-qd9jz]

as a French that is a toulouse's fan I'm very proud that the others countries talk that much about this player, he deserves

[@romainviry3185]

thanks BJ, good stuff. Antoine is golden and a very nice lad on top of it. He's leading by example, regularly being the best on the pitch and finding many ways to affect the game. I've been watching rugby for 35+ years and have never seen someone like him, so complete.

[@RugbyWithMax]

That’s saying something! Cheers for watching too mate 😎

[@laelienriviere5735]

France call him the Minister of Interior. It's a pun, because we do have this minister of Internal affairs called Ministre de l'intérieur, but also means inside minister, because he's just... Always... Inside. To catch that fast ball. His spatial awareness and game understanding is just... Inhuman. He's a freak. A genius. Once in a generation. One that forces opponents to plan specifically against him. As you said... He just needs to be Antoine Dupont.

[@declissonolivier9376]

Just a little mistake: France doesn't call him like that... Just a (poor) speaker on french tv... Except that, thanks for your comment!

[@laelienriviere5735]

@@declissonolivier9376 ah bah j'en au entendu plus d'un l'appeler le ministre de l'intérieur, pas que Lartot et Yachvili !

[@declissonolivier9376]

@@laelienriviere5735 Bon, bon... Tu as probablement raison... Méa Culpa.... Mais je dois reconnaître que ce sobriquet lui va bien: il est tellement fort dans ce compartiment de jeu (le plein centre)!

[@frenchflair7699]

@@laelienriviere5735 Oui parce que tout le monde a repris ce surnom donné à l'origine par Lartot

[@professionalprocrastinator8103]

Guy Novès, despite his phenomenal record with Toulouse, was past his time in 2017. However his poor performance coaching the national team wasn't due to himself alone. He was sabotaged by the rotten head of the FFR and their ties with the LNR.

[@RugbyWithMax]

Even if he wasn’t sabotaged, he’d have almost certainly been sacked for a poor performance anyway. There was no clear-cut team structure in his selections; the only guaranteed picks were Lopez at 10 and Guirado at 2.

[@jeanlecoq3372]

Hello from france ! I'm not fluent so i dont get everything you said, but for what i understand, you made a good analysis of our "darkness" time... And I'm really happy to see that we are now considered as one of the favorites. Dupont made me love rugby again, and a lot of kids is now playing rugby, by following his example.

[@davidwakefield4461]

Class video. Couldn't stop watching the game videos and realising how brilliant he was. Only when you slow it down and show it, do I appreciate how good he is. One of the best videos you've done- Ntmack is great too

[@RugbyWithMax]

I was tempted to make a video on the understanding between the two, but it probably would have lasted 14 hours 😂😂😂

[@Ranyanya]

I do think that being under Galthié management and an improving Toulouse team helps a lot. Galthié was cunning and brave; in 1999, sorry to bring back this memory, he was the only one trying to get Lomu on the legs while Pelous or Benazzi were crushed by his strenght. Also, Galthié knows French history with referees, and I think he coached Dupont in a way ref' will likely listen to him. It adds to his pure game strenghts a lot.

[@laelienriviere5735]

Also I'm pretty sure they don't feed him between games, like Villiere, because when he's tackling, it feels like he's out for blood.

[@walla9613]

Brilliant analysis as always Max, although made a bit easier by the fact the man is like a magician. Think the WC will show where he sits amongst the all time greats

[@RugbyWithMax]

Thanks so much for watching brother 🙏

[@Samizouza]

He wins the world cup for France, then he's a true legend if he does it on home soil.

[@vtvt6656]

well he didn't and yet he is the Rugby GOAT

[@MathieuChauvin]

Thank you for this great analysis. It must have been lots of work to put all this together

[@RugbyWithMax]

Took about a month to make, so am very happy with the feedback! Cheers for watching mate 🙏

[@pashadia]

If he retired tomorrow, he'd still have a fighting chance to be the GOAT

[@Waywind420]

Nah, can't agree with that Maybe for France but not globally.

[@huguesjouffrai9618]

@@Waywind420 agree but that's super impressive already. However I think that the next 2 WC (and especially this one in France) will be key to cementing his legacy. He's already cemented his legacy in the top 14, Champions cup, 6 nations, test matches... but I feel that in order to be a world class Rugby legend you really need a few memorable WC performances

[@RugbyWithMax]

Oh of course he could. With time left though, he could potentially fall off so I’m not keen to call it yet. If Dupont retires post-World Cup though, he’d definitely go down as the GOAT of French rugby 💯

[@vinnyjervis8278]

Great video, love the research and time put into this, great production too

[@RugbyWithMax]

Glad you enjoyed it! Took me about a month to make 😂🙌

[@TC-sm8rc]

They have a more diverse rugby comp in the north than down here in the south at the moment. The quality of players and the competition and development over the past 10 years is showing with the cream on top. South africa pulling out of southern hemisphere has hurt nz and aus rugby

[@RugbyWithMax]

And it could get even worse…

[@Cocoytb-24]

Brilliant video,thank you so much for all the thorough explanations matching the images/videos of the actions .it helps so much with understanding the tactics/strategy ! Keep up the good work. 🇫🇷

[@ZeAldhyr]

Yet another great analysis, well done sir. Long live (and play) Antoine !

[@RugbyWithMax]

Thanks so much for watching brother 🙏

[@droctowiz5968]

I'm glad you chose these three aspects of Dupont's game and I think it was a great analysis which resonates with what I've been seeing for the past years as a Toulouse and France fan

[@RugbyWithMax]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@francoischirpaz-js8gb]

Beautiful work, thanks for your vidéos...

[@RugbyWithMax]

Thank you brother 🙏

[@gregtheveniau2624]

great channel ;-) Thanx for the vid !

[@RugbyWithMax]

Cheers for watching!

[@joachimmahoudeaux8619]

Hey again excellent analysis ! hope you're well take care ;-)

[@RugbyWithMax]

Cheers for the support, merci 🙌

[@valentinsalgado6605]

Actually Noves is an excellent head coach. He just arrived at the worst time. Problem with french rugby was with developpement. Basically we wanted players that could push 180 at BP squatt 200 and do some assault bike. We took time to adapt the development process to modern rugby in terms of fitness, agility, power and explosiveness. We really started this in 2014 2015, which explains why it took time to develop this great generation.

[@luccornic9980]

Great video ! People should also realise how fast he is. Have a look at his try against the Sale Sharks earlier this season. Insane ... Technically with his hands he is also above the rest in my opinion. His pass against Wales is just crazy, so much control and ease. Finally, I would highlight how disruptive he is for defenses around the ruck. Every team playing against Dupont has to be tighter around the rucks because of how smart and explosive he is. And tighter defense around the ruck means more space on the sides. If he wins the World Cup he is already the greatest 9 of all time in my opinion. Keep up the good work!

[@RugbyWithMax]

Cheers for the support man 🙌

[@mitchydarne8734]

Excellent vidéo and analys, Love the Kiwi accent👌

[@RugbyWithMax]

Cheers for the view mate, you’re welcome back any time aye 👋

[@tommyc5341]

If you’re judging it on pure rugby ability, he’s the best player ever, no doubt. But it’s too soon to call him the 🐐 as he doesn’t have the same accolades as Carter, McCaw etc, yet…

[@RugbyWithMax]

Yeah I agree. I’d change my mind if he retired tomorrow of course though 😂

[@louisixlefourbe8075]

France has depth in n°9, not only Lucu, Serin, Couilloud as you've said, but above all France has Le Garrec and Coly also as 9, far better than the previous 3.

[@sirfrancis6058]

Disagree, they're good but not the finished product yet. Jauneau is another great prospect

[@RugbyWithMax]

Le Garrec and Coly haven’t played at all under Galthie; they aren’t proven at test level.

[@louisixlefourbe8075]

@@RugbyWithMax Le Garrec has been called by Galthié several times (but no caps). Coly has been injured. But still, they remain intrinsically better than the 3. Probably Le Garrec will be n°3 for the WC, and n°2 after the WC. I mean, he's currently carrying Racing 92 most of the times, despite being very young. I hope that Coly will not have too many injuries the next season.

[@louisixlefourbe8075]

@@sirfrancis6058 for sure! For me, Le Garrec and Coly are above Jauneau

[@RugbyWithMax]

@@louisixlefourbe8075 Galthie’s picks are mostly set in stone; he’ll likely persist with Couilloud.

[@KnucksM8]

I’ve watched him play against us Irish for a couple years now and safe to say he is brilliant, definitely the best 9 in the world for me

[@RugbyWithMax]

The world’s second-best plays for you guys but was robbed of an ABs cap 😤

[@KnucksM8]

Yeah I rate jgp highly I think he’s an unreal player, some amazing talent your lovely country has mate! also a big fan of Bundee and James Lowe

[@draaz7171]

That's it ! The 42 players list is available! 🔥💯🔥

[@natelindstrom4041]

Great content mate

[@gaelsimon1680]

2011 was a steal lol

[@RugbyWithMax]

No it wasn’t 😂

[@leduoanime9156]

@@RugbyWithMax Honeslty, no french will ever agree XD I was a kid when it happened, and all I remember was the angerness of everyone around me, specially after what they did to Para.

[@tm.8399]

@@RugbyWithMax only people support the allblacks can say that, and even so a lot admits it

[@Ranyanya]

No, and a French ref' went through the game. To him, 3-4 decisions could have been different on both sides, but not changing drastically the outcome of the match. Trinh-Duc missed the opportunity to win the match. Plus, over the whole tournament, France was lucky to arrive in final, especially after the horrible semi against Wales.

[@bluemaverick4268]

@@RugbyWithMaxyep, clearly it was a robbery, the biggest of all rugby history. Some major ref after the final clearly said there was huge mistake in favor of All Blacks.

[@antoinemalouf]

So he is the Steph curry of rugby. Creative, brilliant, game breaker

[@draaz7171]

❤❤❤

[@RugbyWithMax]

Cheers for watching mate 🙌

[@Hellborg81]

7:58 .... funniest accent ever, thanks :D :D

[@RugbyWithMax]

I don’t like my accent 😂😂😂

[@jeanmas4197]

Wasn't lowest point for French rugby when they were added to the 4 nations and they couldn't win a game for many years? They were kind of like Italy at the time.

[@RugbyWithMax]

I wasn’t alive for that, I was hoping that people would understand it as the lowest point of their modern history 😂🙌

[@glaivedacier]

Do you know tha the punching dude at 6:47 is heading straight to jail this weekend?

[@RugbyWithMax]

Yes and I’m glad. Haouas’ behaviour has no place in society, nor the sport. Do the crime, do the time.

[@Cocoytb-24]

​@@RugbyWithMaxevery french rugby supporter is relieved he's out. Finally

[@thomaspryde5523]

If he get injured in the World Cup how good is the depth of the team? I honestly don’t know. But if out him they (May) struggle.

[@Sadicolog]

He talks about it in the begining of the video, France have Lucu, couilloud and Serin that are very good players who could be the main 9 in most of the teams of this world cup. It's just that Dupont is on a league of his own.

[@Jimba93]

Let me rephrase your question: What happens when you take the best player in the world off the team? Well, the team simply becomes less good. I mean... Obviously...

[@RugbyWithMax]

France would still make it to the World Cup Final with Lucu at 9. Dupont would simply be the difference between the gold and silver medal 🥈

[@draaz7171]

France level without Dupont? To find out, watch the game of France against SA. Scrum half was lucu. 👍

[@RugbyWithMax]

@@draaz7171 they definitely deserved that win too 👀

[@osoltar1113]

As a young French rugby fan the first part of the video was really hard to watch (my first-ever rugby memory being the all blacks smashing less bleus in 2015)

[@RugbyWithMax]

Don’t worry, you’ll get us back later this year mate 😂

[@brianmurray6287]

Ireland and leinster know how to deal with him...mainly keep him defending all game long.

[@RugbyWithMax]

Dealing with him is one thing, but making him have a bad game is another, I’ve never seen Dupont play badly 😂

[@brianmurray6287]

@@RugbyWithMax he doesn't play badly but he can be stopped watch leinster play toulouse in the champions Cup he didn't get a look in.

[@romainc6457]

the last 4 games between Ireland and France: 1 Irish victory Vs 3 French wins, with 2 try from Dupont, so he's certainly not so easy to deal with... and if he plays with Alldritt, Atonio, Danty... maybe they will teach him how to beat Leinster/Ireland everytime !

[@brianmurray6287]

@@romainc6457 games years ago during covid don't really count for much...and I'm sure the all blacks will have a plan for him in the opening game.

[@Dotax59]

@@brianmurray6287 I do not understand your logic. You say Ireland can handle him. For the last 4 games, France won 3. Ireland won 1. So why should we only consider the last game where Ireland won and not the 3 games before where France won ? You would have said "Ireland knew how to handle him in the last game", your point would have been valid. But here it is not.

[@louvdberg]

Fourie du Preez i think is better

[@RugbyWithMax]

He’s been retired since 2016…

[@weskus]

Nope. For sure not better than Faf de Klerk.

[@RugbyWithMax]

de Klerk kicks and passes far too slow and disrupts the flow of a game to make up for his lack of an all-round game. de Klerk ain’t even the best 9 in South Africa. Hendrikse keeps his discipline and can pass far quicker. If South Africa want to get out of the pool stages, they’d be wise to keep starting Hendrikse; they desperately need a more coherent attack structure and not just flukes like the Arendse try against England that originate from nothing but natural talent.

[@mahasamatman12]

Lol ! de Klerk is well behind Dupont, Smith, Gibson-Park and a few others...

[@romainviry3185]

Faf is great. But nowhere near Antoine. Just a fact. You can both be a stubborn SA fan while acknowledging the plain truth.

[@Waywind420]

Prime faf might be as good as Dupont, but Faf now is kind of ordinary

[@ChinaNumbaWon]

Yeah bro sorry DuPont is the best atm