France captain Antoine Dupont has said he bears no ill will for the incident that his coach, Fabien Galthié, described as “reprehensible” during last season’s 27-42 Six Nations Championship win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
Dupont was speaking as both teams prepare for Thursday week’s Six Nations opener between the countries at the Stade de France (8.10pm, Irish time).
Dupont suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear after being cleared out at a ruck by Andrew Porter and Tadhg Beirne. Galthié said post-match to French television: “I don’t want to go into details, mainly due to medical confidentiality. We have cited two players – Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter – in our post-match report.
“In terms of the action, in my opinion it was reprehensible, and there are ways to study and analyse it. We feel for him today. He is suffering and we are suffering with him.”
The match citing commissioner examined the incident and adjudicated that the Irish players had no case to answer.
Speaking at the Six Nations launch in Edinburgh, Dupont was asked whether he felt any lingering anger. “Honestly, no. I think it was just an accident. It happens sometimes on the field, unfortunately. I don’t feel that it was intentional; both sent messages on social media, so no I don’t think so.”
Galthié has called up Joshua Brennan, son of former Ireland, Leinster and Toulouse secondrow Trevor Brennan, for Thibaud Flament, who has withdrawn for personal reasons. La Rochelle pair Uini Atonio and Paul Boudehent are also out of the squad and are replaced by Toulouse’s George-Henri Colombe and Alexandre Roumat.
Asked about what Brennan would bring to the squad, Dupont said: “He’s improving year after year. He’s still a young player. He’s a very tough guy on the field [and is] starting to be a more complete player than when he started. I think he has the potential to be a very good player on an international level.”
The French captain said the novelty of a Thursday night game was a step into the unknown, but said it would be the same for both teams. The reverse is the case when it comes to facing Ireland, whose players they know all too well from club and international rugby.
“I think we know this team now for the last four or five years. They play the same rugby, but it’s very efficient, very organised. I repeat myself, but every team is very tough when you play against them. The level of the tournament is very high, and I think they’ll probably be even better this year with Andy [Farrell].”
The six coaches and captains – England hooker Jamie George stood in for Maro Itoje who missed the launch for personal reasons – were in Edinburgh to promote the tournament.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell offered a little clarity on the injury situation.
Tadhg Furlong has a few markers to hit, Tommy O’Brien will be fine. Hugo Keenan and Jamie Osborne are at a similar stage of recovery and both should be fit. Leinster confirmed that the unfortunate Jack Boyle has torn his Achilles’ tendon, that Paddy McCarthy had surgery and that the only one from the list who might be fit at some point in the Six Nations is Andrew Porter.
“Porter at this moment in time, all being well, could come back into it towards the latter stages, but when that is I don’t know because there is a process to go through. Let’s see how the other guys are going as well in the meantime,” Farrell said.
Billy Bohan, centre, has been called up to travel with Ireland’s senior squad to their training camp. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO
“[I’m] gutted for him [Boyle] because he was disappointed not to get a game in the autumn and he took it the right way. He went back to his province and played the house down, really showed great character. He would have been hoping for this type of chance with the injuries to Ports and Paddy. So, it’s devastating for him and for us because we would have loved to have seen him take his chance.”
Boyle’s misfortune provides the 20-year-old Billy Bohan, a grandson of the late Ireland Triple Crown winning coach Mick Doyle, with an opportunity as he was called up to travel with the Ireland senior squad to their training camp in Portugal on Sunday, having originally been selected for the Ireland XV squad to play England at Thomond Park on Friday week.
Farrell smiled: “[It’s a] magnificent story. It might have come a little earlier than he or others would have expected, but he’s certainly a talent. We have watched his progress with the 20s and he comes from good stock there with his grandad [Mick Doyle].
“He is a student of the game, and he had a big game for Connacht Rugby at the opening of their new stand against Leinster. To be the starting prop there says a lot about where he is at this point in time.”
On the perception that Ireland are vulnerable going into the tournament, he said: “Yeah, we were the ones that were being hunted; we’re hunting it ourselves now, aren’t we. So it is what it is.
“I understand why people would be of such a [opinion], but you know none of it is relevant to us, really. All that matters is how we go about our business and prepare well to hit the ground running hopefully in Paris.”