Thierry Henry hails extraordinary France rugby star as he was left "speechless"
Thierry Henry admits he was speechless during the first-half of France's World Cup quarter-final against South Africa and was left in awe of Antoine Dupont.
Les Blues, eyeing their first ever World Cup success, were knocked out in an epic encounter at the Stade de France by the Springboks. A first-half high in quality saw France open the scoring in the opening minutes with both teams scoring three tries apiece by the interval.
Henry, now in charge of France's under-21 football side was, like most of the country, completely gripped by the contest in Paris with this French side tipped to go all the way after a sensational few years. He confessed to a mix of hurt and pride after their premature exit which was stressful viewing.
The Arsenal legend said: “I watched the first half without speaking. I was stressed, I know that a champion who is affected can come back in the second half. A team like South Africa goes into its comfort zone when it is not well; this is where you see a champion.
He added: “It’s annoying, and I think we were all sad for them, but proud of everyone, really, because what they did is extraordinary. Standing up to South Africa is not easy; that’s why I remained calm almost the entire match. But at the end, I was having trouble staying calm on the last possession.”
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A second-half try from Eben Etzebeth proved crucial for the world champions, who will now take on England in the last four as they look to become just the second team to defending their title. Dupont was unable to help France on his return from an injury, as he wore a scrum cap for protection.
Antoine Dupont returned just weeks after suffering an injury blowThe Toulouse scrum-half has been named the World Player of the Year and had produced more magic during the World Cup. He was rushed back from his injury issue with Henry, like many of his compatriots, stunned by his quality, resilience and determination.
“I would also like to talk about Dupont anyway, it’s not good to single out a player, but he is extraordinary," said Henry. "I think this can be an example for everyone, he injures his face, he comes back, and it’s him who launched all the attacks, he stopped everyone, he tackled, he put his head in and then see him cry at the end.
“There was everything; he showed us that he was human, that he was a warrior. The French team, thank you, the coach, thank you, but Dupont, frankly, hats off because donating your body for science, whether in the hospital or in the field, is not always easy because there will be after-effects of all that.
“He put his body on the line for his team and his country. For me, when I see a team struggling, there’s really nothing to say. Yes, there were small mistakes, ok, but you lost against South Africa by one point. It’s infuriating, really infuriating .”
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