On the biggest days, the biggest players stand out.
When Antoine Dupont almost managed an almost impossible assist in the opening moments of the Champions Cup final, you knew he was ready to make history.
When Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park collided with him, the Toulouse scrum-half launched an outrageous offload onto the field for Juan Cruz Mallia to score what looked like the first try.
Replays showed that Dupont’s foot made contact, but it was the start of a special performance in the cup final.
Dupont inspired Toulouse with a thrilling 31-22 triumph after extra time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and ensured his club were crowned European champions for a record-extending sixth time.
Reflecting on his team’s hard-earned triumph, the French scrum-half gave a very humble response when asked what his favorite individual moment of the final was.
After being named best player of the match – and later best player of the Champions Cup season – Dupont, described before the game by a teammate as “an alien” because of his outrageous ability, he had many options.
However, he simply said he was hearing the whistle full time and knowing the job was done.
“It’s amazing to be able to win with this team,” he said. “We really wanted to win a sixth star after losing to Leinster the last two years in the semi-finals.
“Overtime is crunch time, money time, and you shouldn’t ask questions, just put your head down and do what you have to do. You win the game mentally.”
Sevens helped the ‘ball stealing machine’
Leinster comprehensively defeated Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-finals in 2022 and 2023, with well-executed game plans to finish off Dupont.
For much of the final in London, his attacking threat was again nullified, but this time the 27-year-old showed his magic on the break.
“We didn’t see Dupont’s attacking play today but he made four or five decisive turnovers,” former England winger Chris Ashton told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s been a ball-stealing machine.”
The game was considered a potential clash between Toulouse’s onslaught attack – which lasted 46 tries en route to the final – against Leinster manager Jacques Nienaber’s blitz defense.
Although there were no attempts in 80 minutes, it demonstrated the French team’s determination to deliver the sixth star by any means possible.
Toulouse coach Ugo Mola praised his captain’s work on the pitch and highlighted two of his steals – both from the line – as vital moments.
One of those came when Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan broke free and looked set to score the first try of the game, only to be denied by a brilliant tackle from full-back Blair Kinghorn.
With a quick pass almost certainly giving the Irish province a score, Dupont was there to gain a vital comeback.
It was no coincidence that the Toulouse star was the first player to break.
After playing for the France Sevens team in tournaments in February and March in an attempt to reach the Olympics on home soil, Dupont is seeing some of the benefits of playing a shorter, faster game now that he is back in the 15s.
“Playing sevens, rucks are really important,” Dupont said. “It’s something I’ve worked on, so it’s an asset I’ve gained from it.”
Obsession is often the reason why stars rise to the top and after France were knocked out of a home World Cup quarter-final by South Africa last year, a huge legacy-defining moment disappeared. before him.
Dupont may never have the opportunity to win a World Cup on home soil again, but his quest for Olympic glory appears to be pushing him to even higher standards.
The scrum-half flies to Madrid on Monday to play for France in the Svns Grand Final and will then return for Toulouse’s bid for the Top 14 title before looking to add Olympic gold to his incredible collection.
Aiming for greatness always carries ‘risks of failure’
It wasn’t just Dupont who suffered turnovers, as Toulouse’s last-ditch defense on several occasions held off the opposition and proved the difference.
The Top 14 team made 19 turnovers compared to Leinster’s eight and made 242 tackles to Leo Cullen’s side’s 137.
“Toulouse fought well and had great moments defensively and that was the difference,” said Cullen.
“The boys were huge and kept shooting the whole time, but they didn’t get their rewards for a number of different reasons.
“We felt like we were very close to breaking them and most people in the stadium would have that feeling.”
Leinster have now lost three consecutive Champions Cup finals, following back-to-back defeats to La Rochelle in 2022 and 2023.
The last time they won the European Champion Clubs’ Cup was in 2018 and that feeling – which Leinster co-captain James Ryan felt early in his career – is something he believes will return.
“When you want to do big things and achieve big things, you always run the risk of failing badly,” Ryan said.
“Would I rather be in a team that tries to be the best team in Europe every year and risk feeling that way?
“That’s how we are. We want to win trophies and that hurts, but now we have to recover.”
A certain Mr. Dupont knows all about recovering from disappointment in the pursuit of greatness.
