Antoine Dupont, once again excellent with Stade Toulousain this Sunday against the Irish from Ulster in the Champions Cup quarter-final.

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Frédéric Scheiber / AFP

  • Excellent, as often, Antoine Dupont played a large part this Sunday in the easy victory of Stade Toulousain over the Irish from Ulster (36-8), in the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

  • The international scrum-half unboxed all the samples of his talent and scored one of his team's five tries.

  • He also delighted his audience after the meeting.

At the Ernest-Wallon stadium,

And besides, he's funny.

Asked about the number of stitches placed on his right arch this Sunday, after the demonstration of Stade Toulousain on Ulster (36-8), Antoine Dupont took out the valve which made his audience of masked journalists smile.

"There are four, it's to round up to 40," said one of the major players in this Champions Cup quarter-final to Ernest-Wallon.

Like the elusive Cheslin Kolbe, author of a double against the North Irish, the 23-year-old international (24 caps) is one of those players who trivialize the extraordinary.

The crack of Castelnau-Magnoac (Hautes-Pyrenees) of course corrected dominating forwards, in good scrum half always stuck to the ball.

But to this (excellent) basic work, Dupont brought the touch that makes it so special, and so above the competition, in Red and Black as in Blue.

Stade Toulousain flies to the score after a breakthrough in the center of Guitoune who serves on a Dupont board.

The French take the direction of the semi-finals of the Champions Cup #TOUULS



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- France tv sport (@francetvsport) September 20, 2020

For example, this breakthrough over 80 meters at the reception of an Irish dismissal (16th), or this test, already his second in three games this season, in his typical style.

Dupont took over from a breakthrough from Sofiane Guitoune (50th), who took the time during his race to pull up his lowered shorts.

"He was at two on time"

"Sofiane scared me, I saw him slow down, he was at two on time and I said to myself that he was going to eat me, he laughs.

Finally, he said to me: "I can't run with the shorts down".

I can't tell him anything, except thank you because he makes me score.

"The thin but noisy public of Ernest-Wallon (5,000 people, Covid-19 obliges) also thanked the former Castres by cheering him when he left shortly after the hour of play.

Ugo Mola, he did not want to make tons about his "stars" Kolbe and Dupont at the end of the meeting.

The stadist manager preferred to insist on the performance of his grumpy Huget, Kaino and Tekori, the impeccable Cros and the young Tolofua.

But he does not hesitate to entrust more and more responsibilities to his scrum half, with a discreet appearance but described as "rascal" by his friend Guitoune.

Antoine Dupont and his eye damaged after the match against Ulster.

- Nicolas Stival / 20 Minutes

“From my position, I have a bit of leadership obligation, assumes Dupont, promoted captain eight days earlier in Top 14 against La Rochelle (39-23).

It's also my fourth season here, I feel more and more comfortable with the collective.

There is Jerome [Kaino], Jo [Tekori], Charlie [Faumuina] who are players of great experience to rely on but we, the young generation, also have to take things in hand because we will not be able to rely on them forever.

"

These Toulouse-style “Kids United” are ready, like their elders, to compete in the eleventh European semi-final in the club's rich history, against the winner of the 100% English duel this Sunday evening between Exeter and Northampton.

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