Dupont has won the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year award in 2021 and the World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year in 2024. He is the first French player to win the Men’s Sevens World Rugby Player of the Year award. He is also the first and only rugby player ever to have won both the Men’s 15s and the Men’s Sevens World Rugby Player of the Year awards in one's career. He has also won a shared record of three Six Nations Player of the Championships, the most by a French player.
Dupont was born in Lannemezan but grew up in the nearby village of Castelnau-Magnoac where he started playing rugby for Magnoac FC at the age of 4. In 2011, he joined Auch as a junior.
In 2019, Dupont won the Top 14 with Toulouse after defeating Clermont Auvergne 24–18 in the 2018-19 final. In May 2021, Dupont won the European Rugby Champions Cup with Toulouse after defeating La Rochelle 22–17 in the 2020-2021 final. As captain, he lifted the trophy after the final whistle.[6] In the same year, Toulouse completed the domestic and European double winning the Top 14 for the 2nd time beating La Rochelle 18–8 in the final.[7]
In April 2023, he became the first player since Opta records began in 2019 to record five try assists in the Champions Cup fixture in as his side went on to beat Sharks 54–20 in the quarter finals of the competition.[8]
In December 2024, he got four try assists in the opening round of the 2024-25 Champions Cup as his side went on to beat Ulster 61–21. This record was just the second time since 2019 that a player had recorded four or more try assists in the competition since Opta records began in 2019 having only been beaten by his other tally of five assists just over a year earlier.[10]
Dupont was called up to the French first team for the first time ahead of France's fourth 2017 Six Nations Championship match against Italy as a replacement for Maxime Machenaud.[12] He made his debut in that game coming on for Baptiste Serin in the 72nd minute of an eventual 40–18 away win.
In 2022, Dupont was named as France's stand-in captain in the absence of Charles Ollivon. Later that year, France won the 2022 Six Nations Championship, achieving the Grand Slam as a result. This was France's first Six Nations Championship win since 2010.[14] Dupont was awarded Player of the Championship for the third time.[15] Though France did not win the 2023 Six Nations tournament, Dupont claimed his third Player of the Championship trophy, equalling Brian O'Driscoll as the only player to win the award three times.
He is the third French captain after Fabien Pelous and Thierry Dusautoir to have beaten Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He was selected to captain the 34-man squad for France as they hosted the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[16] They would advance past the Pool stage, however they exited the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing to eventual winners South Africa.
In November 2024, he led France to a third consecutive win over New Zealand during the 2024 Autumn Nations Series. This equalled France's all time record for consecutive wins over the All Blacks.[17]
France 7s
During the 2023/24 SVNS season, Dupont helped France 7s win the Los Angeles tournament and later the Madrid tournament. By winning the latter, France 7s became champions for the first time in history. He was absent for France 15s during the 2024 Six Nations Championship due to his commitment to France 7s.
During the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he played a key role and scored the last try vs Argentina in the quarter finals. France would reach the final where they would face Fiji and Dupont again shone, scoring and assisting and helping France secure their first ever gold medal in Sevens.
With his two years older brother Clément, he bought and renovated an old rural estate located in his childhood village that belonged to his grandparents. The venue reopened in 2021 and is used for parties, wedding receptions, and other types of corporate events.[20][21]
In addition to his native French, Dupont can speak English.[22]
Commercial endorsements
An acclaimed and popular athlete, Dupont is one of the highest-paid French players with income of €600,000 per season, as of 2021.[23] In addition to his salary and bonuses, he has endorsements with many brands and global companies, including Adidas, Peugeot, Volvic and Tissot while he was sponsored by Land Rover until 2021.[24][25][26][27] In 2016, he signed a sponsorship contract with the German sportswear and equipment supplier on a deal worth €40,000 per year.[23] In 2022, he became a brand ambassador for retail company Groupe Casino and France state-owned railway company SNCF.[28][29] Additionally, he appeared on the cover of video game Rugby 22 alongside Cheslin Kolbe and Will Skelton.[30]
Other appearances
Dupont wax figure unveiled in 2023
Dupont has been involved in films and series focused on Toulouse. From 7 November 2020 to June 2021, French filmmakers Éric Hannezo and Matthieu Vollaire filmed a 107-minute black and white documentary feature film Le Stade, which follows the French club during Stade Toulousain's 2020-21 Champions Cup and Top 14 successful campaign, after having shot more than 600 hours of dailies for weeks.[31][32] The movie was theatrically released on 13 April 2022 in France by Pathé and took around 67,000 admissions domestically.[33][34] A sports docuseries of the same name, using unseen footage and containing four 40-minute episodes, was released on the streaming service Paramount+ on 22 December 2022.[35][36][37]
He appeared in the video clip for the song Dernière by French rappers Bigflo & Oli, released in June 2023.[40] A tribute song was also dedicated to him the same month,[41] and a biographical comic book was released in September 2023.[42]
About three months prior to the kick-off of the 2023 Rugby World Cup opening match, a wax figure of Dupont went on display at the Musée Grévin in Paris.[43]
Escot, Richard (2022). Anthologie des Bleus (in French). Paris: Éditions Solar. ISBN978-2263180705.
David, Arnaud; Dorian, Jean-Pierre; Espitalier, Nicolas; Harté, Yves; Kappès-Grangé, Denys; Magnol, Thierry; Plagnol, Olivier (2023). 100 Bleus de légende : Les joueurs les plus emblématiques de l'histoire du rugby français (in French). Bordeaux: Éditions Sud Ouest. ISBN978-2817710006.
