'One of the best in the world' - Antoine Dupont threat and how Glasgow Warriors deal with it

Not only is the deal likely to make him the highest paid rugby player in the world, it is also a shot across the bow of R360, the putative rebel league which is supposedly targeting the game’s superstars.

There is none bigger than Dupont whose name looms large over this weekend’s blockbuster at Scotstoun where the scrum-half could make his first start in nine months as Glasgow Warriors host Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup.

He came off the bench for Paul Graou in the French club’s last two games, against Racing 92 in the Top 14 and the Sharks in the Champions Cup, and is beginning to exert his influence again after a long lay-off. His last start was during the Six Nations in March when he ruptured a cruciate knee ligament playing for France against Ireland.

Les Bleus went on to win the crown without their talisman, beating Scotland in the final match in Paris, and there were emotional scenes in the Stade de France when he discarded his crutches and limped on to the podium to help Gregory Alldritt lift the trophy.

‘Nullify their threats’

Excitement is building for his first appearance at Scotstoun. Saturday night’s match is sold out and it’s not just the supporters who are looking forward to seeing the fêted No 9. Glasgow’s players are also keen to test themselves against Europe’s ultimate club and against Dupont in particular.

“Oh yeah, I mean, he's one of the best players in the world,” said Adam Hastings, the Warriors stand-off. “So it'll be exciting for us and something we need to focus on. But again, they've got a lot of quality across that team in pretty much every position. So I think we'll spend a bit of time previewing them this week, but a lot of the focus will be on ourselves and just what we can do to nullify their threats.”

Hastings has locked horns with Dupont on a handful of occasions in Scotland-France games and has enjoyed a couple of notable victories over the man from Lannemezan. He started at 10 as Gregor Townsend’s side beat France 28-17 at Murrayfield in the 2020 Six Nations on a day when Sean Maitland scored two tries and Stuart McInally got one. Hastings also had a vital cameo in the victory in Paris a year later when he came off the bench and delivered the perfect pass for Duhan van der Merwe to score the winning try after Finn Russell had been shown a late red card.

“We've played them a couple of times, obviously with Scotland,” said Hastings. “It's always enjoyable, you want to test yourself against the best teams and really see where you're at. So everyone's pretty excited.”

Dupont, 29, has not started for Toulouse since last season’s Champions Cup pool stage game against Leicester Tigers on January 19. Without him, they could not retain their European crown, losing to eventual winners Bordeaux-Begles in the semi-finals.

That was a bitter blow to the competition’s most successful side and there is a determination to take back the trophy they have won six times since its inception 30 years ago. Glasgow, you have been warned.