‘How do you stop him?’ – Antoine Dupont compared to Patrick Mahomes as England coach hails ‘rare’ talent of France superstar
France scrum-half Antoine Dupont has been likened to NFL star Patrick Mahomes.
France captain Antoine Dupont has been likened to NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes as England prepare to go face-to-face with Les Bleus in the Six Nations this Saturday.
The match at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham promises to be a box office occasion as England look to knock the outstanding French off course for a potential Grand Slam.
Captaining France with aplomb is their superstar Dupont, who returned to Six Nations duty last Friday after missing the 2024 Championship due to Sevens commitments.
Dupont praise
He will once again line up in the number nine jersey against an England side that is desperate to bounce back from an opening round 27-22 defeat to Ireland in Dublin.
In contrast, France opened up their 2025 Six Nations account with an emphatic 43-0 win over Wales with Dupont in typically imperious form in the number nine jersey.
Speaking ahead of Le Crunch at Twickenham, England coach Richard Wigglesworth hailed Dupont’s talents and was particularly impressed with his ability under pressure.
“He’s [Dupont] the best. I think that’s been acknowledged by everyone,” Wigglesworth told Sky Sports.
“He is complete and strong in every area. I’ve never seen a guy get out of trouble as well as he does.
“Someone thinks they’ve got him or the ball bobbles out the back, it’s almost where he comes to life. That’s pretty rare. He is [like Patrick Mahomes]. You think the play’s dead, and it’s not. That’s a good comparison.”
Like every coaching staff leading up to taking on France, doing their homework on the French rugby great is part and parcel of preparations during the lead-up to the game.
However, Wigglesworth admits it can be a losing battle at times as Dupont often wriggles out of tight spaces and can flick a switch that is reminiscent of Mahomes.
Pretty complete
“How do you stop him? If coaches had the answer to that, then they’d be earning a lot of money, wouldn’t they? It’s a team effort to stop him, because it’s not stopping him, it’s stopping what’s happening around him. Stopping their momentum, speed of ball, offloads, so that he has less time and space,” he said.
“Because in small spaces, he’s good. If you give him time and space, then you’re not going to have much of a chance.
“I certainly had many deficiencies [as a scrum-half], but he’s pretty complete. He kicks off both feet, he’s strong, he’s quick, competitive, manages the game well. There’s not an area where you think: ‘this is where he lacks.'”
