Antoine Dupont pays home of Welsh rugby ultimate compliment as he pinpoints Wales match 'danger'
One year, 10 months and 13 days.
From January 31, that will be the last time Antoine Dupont played Six Nations rugby.
Widely referred to as the greatest player on the planet, Dupont returns to the fold of rugby's oldest championship with a tie against Wales in his own backyard.
READ MORE: Six Nations introduce new laws as 20-minute red cards to be used for first time
Ahead of the tournament opener next Friday, Dupont, along with the other Six Nations captains and head coaches, attended the Six Nations launch together in Rome, marking the 25th anniversary of Italy's inclusion in the competition.
France will play the first and last match of their tournament on home soil, with three away fixtures in the middle. Speaking about Six Nations venues, Dupont explained that all of them are incredible, but one of them sticks out above the rest.
"At the Allianz (Twickenham), it will be a huge match, the same in Dublin and Rome," began Dupont.
"Perhaps the loudest stadium is Cardiff with the roof closed. We have good memories there. It’s hard to communicate with each other when we’re on the field. But we get goosebumps every time we go there."
Having missed last year's fixture in Cardiff due to his preparations for playing Sevens at the Olympics and 2023's game being played in France, the last time that Dupont actually played in Cardiff was 2022, where he helped his team edge Cymru 13-9 on Friday, March 11.
With this year's match in France, it means that by the time Dupont plays again in Cardiff (2026), it will be four years since he last played at the home of Welsh rugby. It seems for him, it'll be worth the wait.
Dupont explained that it was tough having to watch from afar in last year's tournament.
"It wasn’t easy to watch the guys," said Dupont.
"I think last year's result was not what we expected.
"But, once again, I had other objectives while being focused on my 7's career. I think that even if we were not at our best level, the end result was not so bad. We finished second in the tournament. We had a good series in November and we must continue, keep the momentum for the Six Nations."
Dupont stressed that they cannot be complacent when it comes to their tournament opener against Wales.
“When everyone says you are the favourites you have to be very careful. It is the biggest danger for our team,” said Dupont.
“It will be very important for us to win and to play well in the first game and we have the experience in our side to prepare well. Two weeks at Marcoussis before the first match is good, especially with an off weekend, even in the middle of the Top 14. It’s comfort for us and it gives us more time to be at our best for the first match.
“We’re very excited about the Six Nations and we have a lot of ambition. It’s a big challenge for us and I think we have the potential.
“It wasn’t easy to watch the guys playing last year and the results were not what we expected. We finished second and then we had a good series in November, so we must take that momentum into the Six Nations.”
Wales face France in the opening match of the 2025 Six Nations at 8.15pm on Friday, January 31.
