Dupont is the best says Aaron Smith

SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT: France Antoine Dupont is slowly but surely establishing himself as one of the best scrumhalves in the World and even Aaron Smith could not deny it.

Dupont has been on the rise since ousting Morgan Parra as France’s number one halfback during the 2019 Six Nations and leapfrogging over Baptiste Serin.

A breakout campaign in 2020 thrust Dupont into the conversation as the world’s best halfback after he became the first French player to win the Player of the Tournament award.

The Toulouse scrumhalf opened his 2021 campaign with four try assists in a 50-10 rout of Italy, including another highlight reel moment with a no-look pass to set up centre Arthur Vincent.

On the back of that display, Smith said that the 2020 player of the Six Nations is “on another level”. On top of that, he added that the 24-year-old is “the point of difference for both his club and country”.

With France fourth in the world rankings and sitting atop the Six Nations table after one round, as well as Toulouse currently leading the Top 14, it is hard to argue with Smith’s evaluation of Dupont.

“Antoine Dupont, this guy is on another level!"  Smith wrote on his official Twitter account.

"No one is near him atm. He’s the point of difference for both his club and country. He’s helping me look at parts of my game to improve.”

The 97-cap All Black has been one of the premier No.9 in world rugby over the past decade, having won the World Cup in 2015 and a Super Rugby title with the Highlanders that same year.

Dupont is the poster boy of the French rugby renaissance under Fabien Galthie and looks poised to battle with the 32-year-old Smith over the coming years to be regarded as the best No.9 in the world.

France travel to Dublin this Sunday to take on Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, where Dupont will face the official World Rugby scrumhalf of the decade, Conor Murray.

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