What if Antoine Dupont extended his summer in blue? According to L’Équipe, the France captain, who will first play the Top 14 final on 27 June with Stade Toulousain, is tipped to join up with France in the southern hemisphere for the Nations Championship. A report to be treated with caution, but one the sports daily considers serious.

What L’Équipe says

According to L’Équipe, Antoine Dupont “is said to have clearly expressed his desire to be part of this adventure”. The scrum-half (29, 64 caps) would be among the Top 14 finalists who could “hitch a ride” with France, most of whose delegation flies out to Brisbane on Tuesday 23 June. For the record, Dupont has not played a match with France at this time of year since 2016-2017.

A lighter season that makes the idea credible

The idea is far from absurd. Injured in the knee in March of last year, Dupont only returned to action this season, with reduced game time, a long way from his usual standards (around 2,000 minutes). Enough to approach the final straight with some freshness, a little over a year out from a World Cup played in Australia. A weighty argument in his thinking.

The schedule: not before Australia

In practice, even if he is selected, Dupont will certainly miss the opening round against New Zealand, on 4 July in Christchurch. He could, however, be in contention for the two following fixtures: Australia, on 11 July in Brisbane, then Japan, on 18 July in Tokyo. But before thinking about the southern hemisphere, the Toulouse man has a historic four-in-a-row to go and win at the Stade de France.