This time it was at the 20th edition of the prestigious 'Nuit du Rugby' (or 'Rugby Night'), where the top performers across French rugby are recognised for their achievements over the past season. The big winner? None other than Dupont, who took home the 'Best Top 14 Player' and 'Best French International Player' titles.
It was just over a week ago that Dupont's Olympic gold medal-winning exploits in Paris saw him presented with the Legion d'Honneur by Emmanuel Macron. The awards the 27-year-old received at Nuit du Rugby also reflected his achievements with Toulouse last season, when he helped them claim a Top 14 and Champions Cup double.
WATCH: The remarkable Antoine Dupont
"We train every day to get there, but others do it and don't have the opportunity to lift a trophy at the end of the season," said Dupont on the night. "So we have to measure that while being aware of the work that will have to be done to continue winning. We know that it's the hardest thing, we've experienced it in recent seasons with Toulouse."
One wonders where Dupont, the scrum-half and captain of Toulouse and France, will put all of his trophies. Already a two-time winner in the 'Best Top 14 Player' category, Dupont was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021 and has won the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship on three occasions (most recently in 2023).
Other notable winners from the evening included France U20 back Théo Attisogbe of Pau, who was named 'Revelation of the Year', and Mathieu Raynal (who refereed in eight Guinness Men's Six Nations until his retirement this year), who earned the 'Referee of the Year' award. France Sevens star Séraphine Okemba was also honoured as the 'Best French International Player' for her outstanding contributions to the women’s game.
The Top 14's Best Player Awards
2004 : Manny Edmonds (Perpignan) 2005 : Yannick Jauzion (Toulouse) 2006 : Rupeni Caucaunibuca (Agen) 2007 : Juan Martin Hernandez (Stade Français Paris) 2008 : Byron Kelleher (Toulouse) 2009 : Napolioni Nalaga (Clermont) 2010 : Morgan Parra ( Clermont) 2011 : François Trinh-Duc (Montpellier) 2012 : Chris Masoe (Castres) 2013 : Rory Kockott (Castres) 2014 : Matt Giteau (Toulon) 2015 : Sergio Parisse (Stade Français Paris) 2016 : Johan Goosen (Racing 92) 2017 : Victor Vito (Stade Rochelais) 2018 : Benjamin Botica (Oyonnax) 2019 : Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) 2020 : no trophy (Covid) 2021 : Antoine Dupont (Toulouse) 2022 : Zach Mercer (Montpellier) 2023 : Antoine Dupont (Toulouse) 2024 : Antoine Dupont (Toulouse)
