Rugby 7s – Capbreton, the sunny stopover on the road to the Olympic Games for the Blues
Under the Landes sun, the French sevens rugby team, which was able to count on the presence of Antoine Dupont this week, continued its preparation for the last two tournaments on the circuit and the upcoming Olympic Games.
The madness that accompanied the preparation of the French XV, in the Landes, before the World Cup last summer, has given way to a slightly calmer environment. Thursday afternoon, the Blues arrived at the Capbreton municipal stadium in anonymity, or almost, with two minibuses. No police escorts here. The partners of Paulin Riva and Stephen Parez are, in a way, at home. Dacquois Jérôme Daret usually comes to the Landes to prepare his players. He knows that he can make them work in the dunes, go to the Landes forest or enjoy the ocean, located just a stone’s throw away.
The coach of the French Sevens team has already planned to return “at home” to fine-tune the preparation before the Olympics, in a few weeks. “There are very good conditions here. We have all the facilities to perform”, appreciates Jefferson Lee Joseph. “We come here to look for freshness and good times. Often, the weather is better here (than in Marcoussis, Editor’s note). We are well supervised with the lake, we can go for difficult things on Friday during the cardio session”, adds Aaron Grandidier.
“Dupontmania” is also at VII
Under the Landes sun, the Blues do their weight training session to music, in the state-of-the-art high performance room. Outside, a few curious people observe, through the window, the septists in full effort. A young supporter holds a sign on which it is written: “Antoine, we love you, can we take a photo with you?” The French rugby star also enjoys a good popularity rating at VII. Several people only came to see the Stade Toulouse player and hope for an autograph or a photo on the fly. “With the arrival of Antoine, there are many people who came to support us”, note Jefferson Lee Joseph.
On the pitch, the scrum half shows a big smile. His accelerations are greeted by the hundred supporters who took their places around the handrail. His name is chanted at the slightest opportunity. In the collective? Dupont has obvious qualities and his impact is notable. “Antoine experienced a lot of things at XVrecalls Aaron Grandidier. He brings composure and advice. He strengthens us, he’s a big player, an extra weapon.”
Two tournaments before the Games
Dupont, present during the coronation in Los Angeles (early March), but absent from the final lost in Hong Kong (early April), will not be present for the tournament in Singapore (May 3 to 5). He will, on the other hand, be with the Blues at VII in the final tournament in Madrid, at the beginning of June. With just under 100 days until the start of the Olympic Games, there are two competitions left for the Tricolores before switching to the event of a lifetime. “The excitement of the Games has been there for a while… It has been there since we knew the Olympics would be in France”, says Jefferson Lee Joseph.
“Today, tempers Grandidier, we can’t say that we feel the pressure of the Games. We know we have to finish this competition in the right way. With three podiums in a row, we feel the confidence in ourselves starting to be present. There, we just want to finish the season well to continue to mark the history of French rugby sevens.” In this sense, the three medals won during the last three tournaments are all positive signals, before the big event this summer, where the Blues will try to write history.
