[PopTart]

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:38 pm  

BarnsleyTrinity wrote:

Obviously I'm a League man through and through but I'm not anti Union either and enjoy the 6 Nations and the World Cup .

Dupont is a generational talent without a single weakness to his game , it's never going to happen given the salary he commands in Union but he'd be sensational in Rugby League , way above even Bevan French in my opinion .

I know the transition from Union to League doesn't always come off and vice versa but I believe in Dupont's case he'd make the transition easily .

I agree. He'd slide into League quite easily.

Spooky, French RU has a lot of money. I reckon our most expensive player would compare to an average salary in their first 15.
They are richer than the English union clubs but the top English clubs are still big.

The current top team is Bordeaux gets crowds of up to 30k regularly.
Their stadium (not shared) hosts 34k.
The football team has its own stadium with 42k capacity

Duport plays at Toulouse, who ironically play at same stadium as our Toulouse Olympique.
That's why Toulouse have a challenge to be a top League club but if they can make the jump it could be lucrative.

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 3:00 pm  

BarnsleyTrinity wrote:

Entering into the realms of fantasy here but he'd certainly add a bit of star quality in the halfs at Trinity .

What a player .

Wasn’t he the host of EuroTrash

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 4:27 pm  

Rugby Union has come a long way since open professionalism but in many ways the players have become less suitable for switching codes.

I know someone who’s coached at the very top of both sports, League & Union, domestic and internationally, World Cups in both and their opinion is that in the fine skills when put under pressure Union players are still some way behind.
There is no guarantee, far from it, that Union playmakers would be capable of executing their skills under the greater defensive and physical pressure that League at the top level would put them under.
Of course given enough time there would be the odd one or two that could move over but it would be an expensive experiment for the unlikely returns a club would receive.

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 4:45 pm  

Haven't watched Oonion for years, too frustrating with all the technicalities and phases....give me any game of League any day

[PopTart]

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 5:25 pm  

The Avenger wrote:

Rugby Union has come a long way since open professionalism but in many ways the players have become less suitable for switching codes.

I know someone who’s coached at the very top of both sports, League & Union, domestic and internationally, World Cups in both and their opinion is that in the fine skills when put under pressure Union players are still some way behind.
There is no guarantee, far from it, that Union playmakers would be capable of executing their skills under the greater defensive and physical pressure that League at the top level would put them under.
Of course given enough time there would be the odd one or two that could move over but it would be an expensive experiment for the unlikely returns a club would receive.

Nah. Plenty of skill in Union.

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 5:36 pm  

PopTart wrote:

Nah. Plenty of skill in Union.

Yes there is but that's not what he's saying. When under pressure they are not that good at executing

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 6:17 pm  

Belle Vue wrote:

I was lucky enough to be in Australia in 2023 watching NRL games and looking at media and TV channels union looked as though it was on its Bankside over there…

League is a commercial monster over here... Each year it makes inroads into other sports and Union has been one of its victims. In '25 union is almost complete confined to being played by private schools (of which there are plenty), the alumni of said schools at a small number of clubs, and the armed forces. The Pacific islands and their populations have fallen under the thrall of the NRL, and even the union stronghold of NZ is seeing a shift of power. Only AFL currently is able to hold its own in commercial terms across the sporting business arena.

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 6:39 pm  

PopTart wrote:

Nah. Plenty of skill in Union.

No doubting that there’s skill in Union but is it as transferable as some think?
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but I’ll take the view of someone whose coached both at the very top over yours thanks

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 7:18 pm  

The Avenger wrote:

No doubting that there’s skill in Union but is it as transferable as some think?
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but I’ll take the view of someone whose coached both at the very top over yours thanks

It's a totally different game and although there is undoubtedly skill in union, I feel very few would successfully make the transition to league. It's changed like league has, and the players becomed honed to their particular game- the same applies vice versa, how many league players have tried union and looked completely lost.
Up to RU professionalism ( official that is) the Union players seemed OK adapting to league - and I'm talking about backs now- you can probably count on one hand how many forwards made it! I remember Bryan West!

Re: Antoine Dupont : Sat Feb 01, 2025 7:34 pm  

1315trinity wrote:

It's a totally different game and although there is undoubtedly skill in union, I feel very few would successfully make the transition to league. It's changed like league has, and the players becomed honed to their particular game- the same applies vice versa, how many league players have tried union and looked completely lost.
Up to RU professionalism ( official that is) the Union players seemed OK adapting to league - and I'm talking about backs now- you can probably count on one hand how many forwards made it! I remember Bryan West!

Which is exactly what I was saying, since open professionalism Union players have become fitter but they’ve also become more specialised with their skill set being peculiar to their role within a Union team. There are areas of commonality and that’s where they are behind their League counterparts. Union players simply don’t face the same level of relentless pressure and intensity and as a result their skills break down when put under the sort of pressure a top level League defence would impose.