Scrum-half Antoine Dupont said on Saturday he thought France would respond positively after their opening Six Nations defeat to Ireland.
Dupont, the official captain, is absent from this tournament as he will join the French sevens squad before this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Friday’s 38-17 loss to Marseille meant Les Bleus’ title hopes were already doomed ahead of their trip to Scotland this weekend.
“It was painful to see France in such trouble,” Dupont told Canal+.
“It was too much. We threw too many spanners in the works.”
“I’m not worried about the players. They’re a team with character and ambition. I’m sure they’ll bounce back in the next game in Scotland.”
Dupont has been a huge influence within the French team since making his Test debut in 2017, leading them to a disappointing home defeat to eventual champions South Africa in last year’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Dupont, a former World Rugby Player of the Year, played his last 15-a-side match for more than a month on Saturday before starting his Olympic preparations.
He will be participating in the World Rugby SVNS circuit in Vancouver (February 23-25) and Los Angeles (March 2-3) over the coming weeks, with the Olympic men’s sevens competition set to take place at the end of July. is. .
“I’m very excited, but I’m also a little worried,” Dupont said after Toulouse’s 46-26 league victory over Bayonne.
“This is a really motivating challenge and I want to work hard to learn first and perform well right away,” added the 52-time capped international.
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