Antoine Dupont: France star admits he is a 'little bit scared' after switching to rugby sevens for Olympics

Antoine Dupont has said he is "very excited but a little bit scared" about the prospect of representing France in the rugby sevens at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 27-year-old is set to miss the 2024 Six Nations, scheduled for February 2 to March 16, to join his country's sevens programme.

He will then return to club team Toulouse for the end of the season before switching back to rugby sevens for the Olympics.

"I will have a very busy year but I love that, I’m excited for it," Dupont told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I will have to work a lot to be competitive in all the competitions.

"The last time [playing rugby sevens] was under-18, I think, but it is the same sport and there are a lot of things similar.

"I will have to do my best. I have a lot of calls with the coach to try to learn some skills, and I will try to learn by watching the game.

"Yes, it's hard [to miss the Six Nations], but I have to make choices unfortunately."

The rugby sevens tournament at Paris 2024 will take place from July 24-30 at Stade de France in Paris.

The French men’s rugby sevens team does not have the best track record since the introduction of the sport to the Olympic programme. They finished seventh at Rio 2016, before failing to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

After earning automatic qualification to Paris 2024 as hosts, France are giving it their best shot by drafting in established stars such as Dupont.

The scrum-half was part of the French team which lost to South Africa in a dramatic Rugby World Cup quarter-final in October.

Dupont explained that the heartbreak motivates him to get back to winning ways, starting with the Investec Champions Cup with Toulouse.

The five-time champions have got off to an impressive start in this season's tournament.

Toulouse defeated Harlequins 47-19 over the weekend, adding to their emphatic 52-7 victory against Cardiff Rugby.

"When you lose a competition you want to do another thing to try to win again," Dupont added.

"The Champions Cup is always a special competition for us, and I think we saw the last two weeks that we are very motivated for this competition."

Toulouse's next Investec Champions Cup fixture, against Ulster on January 13, will be broadcast live on TNT Sports on discovery+.

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