"Happy to not play against Jack" – France captain Antoine Dupont glad England can't pick Willis for Six Nations
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France captain Antoine Dupont is glad that England can’t select his Toulouse teammate Jack Willis, for their second round clash in the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Willis has been ineligible to be picked for Steve Borthwick’s side, since the back row signed a contract with Stade Toulousain ahead of the 2023/24 season.
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Willis is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest flankers, and has not played for England since the third pool stage match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Willis’ sole involvement of the tournament was a try-scoring appearance against Chile, and the 28-year-old has since gone on to win the 2023/24 Top 14 and Champions Cup double alongside Dupont. Speaking after France’s captain’s run at the Allianz Stadium, Dupont expressed how he is happy that he won’t be facing off against his Toulousain teammate in tomorrow’s headline clash.
“I’m a bit surprised, (England can’t pick overseas players) but I’m quite happy to not play against Jack tomorrow. We know the nightmare he is in the ruck area, but their (England) rules are different from our rules, and it’s like that for the moment. I don’t think they will change in the next months.”
Dupont is also set for a reunion with a former coach tomorrow afternoon, as the scrum half is a protege of England defence coach Joe El-Abd. The pair shared the Castres Olimpique training pitch between 2015 and 2017, before Dupont departed the club in favour of a high profile move to Toulouse. Dupont discussed his history with El-Abd, and how he expects plenty of defensive pressure from England, given his familiarity with the defence coach.
“Yeah, I remember working with Joe a few years ago. I remember a lot of his spirits. He wanted to be involved in our team, like chop tackle, a lot of pressure, a lot of line speed in defence. And we can see that in the last England game (against Ireland). They put a lot of pressure on the team. They have a rush defence who is very efficient, and I think he will want to put a lot of pressure on us tomorrow, as well. He knows me very well.”
Dupont is out to lead France to their first Six Nations title since 2022, with his head coach Fabien Galthie identifying Marcus Smith as England’s danger-man. Galthie called Smith a ‘genius’ in a France press conference, and he is excited to see the threats the Harlequin will bring at fullback.
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