Dupont was born in
Lannemezan but grew up in the nearby village of
Castelnau-Magnoac where he started playing rugby for Magnoac FC at the age of 4. In 2011, he joined
Auch as a junior .
In 2019, Dupont won the Top 14 with Toulouse after defeating
Clermont Auvergne 24-18 in the
2018-19 final. In May 2021, Dupont won the
European Rugby Champions Cup with Toulouse after defeating
La Rochelle 22-17 in the
2020-2021 final. As captain, he lifted the trophy after the final whistle.[5] In the same year, Toulouse completed the domestic and European double winning the Top 14 for the 2nd time beating La Rochelle 18-8 in the final.[6]
Dupont was called up to the French first team for the first time ahead of France's fourth
2017 Six Nations Championship match against Italy as a replacement for
Maxime Machenaud.[8] He made his debut in that game coming on for
Baptiste Serin in the 72nd minute of an eventual 40–18 away win.
In 2022, Dupont was named as France's stand-in captain in the absence of
Charles Ollivon. Later that year, France won the
2022 Six Nations Championship, achieving the
Grand Slam as a result. This was France's first Six Nations Championship win since 2010.[10] Dupont was awarded Player of the Championship for the third time.[11]
Though France did not win the
2023 Six Nations tournament, Dupont claimed his third Player of the Championship trophy, equalling
Brian O'Driscoll as the only player to win the award three times.
He was selected to captain the 34-man squad for France as they hosted the
2023 Rugby World Cup.[12] They would advance past the Pool stage, however they exited the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing to eventual winners South Africa.
With his two years older brother Clément, he bought and renovated an old rural estate located in his childhood village that belonged to his grandparents. The venue reopened in 2021 and is used for parties, wedding receptions, and other types of corporate events.[15][16]
In addition to his native French, Dupont can speak English.[17]
Commercial endorsements
An acclaimed and popular athlete, Dupont is one of the highest-paid French players with income of €600,000 per season, as of 2021.[18] In addition to his salary and bonuses, he has endorsements with many brands and global companies, including
Adidas,
Peugeot,
Volvic and
Tissot while he was sponsored by
Land Rover until 2021.[19][20][21][22] In 2016, he signed a sponsorship contract with the German sportswear and equipment supplier on a deal worth €40,000 per year.[18] In 2022, he became a brand ambassador for retail company
Groupe Casino and France state-owned railway company
SNCF.[23][24] Additionally, he appeared on the cover of video game Rugby 22 alongside
Cheslin Kolbe and
Will Skelton.[25]
Other appearances
Dupont wax figure unveiled in 2023
Dupont has been involved in films and series focused on
Toulouse. From 7 November 2020 to June 2021, French filmmakers Éric Hannezo and Matthieu Vollaire filmed a 107-minute black and white
documentary feature film Le Stade, which follows the French club during Stade Toulousain's
2020-21 Champions Cup and
Top 14 successful campaign, after having shot more than 600 hours of
dailies for weeks.[26][27] The movie was theatrically released on 13 April 2022 in France by
Pathé and took around 67,000 admissions domestically.[28][29] A
sports docuseries of the same name, using unseen footage and containing four 40-minute episodes, was released on the streaming service
Paramount+ on 22 December 2022.[30][31][32]
He appeared in the video clip for the song Dernière by French rappers
Bigflo & Oli, released in June 2023.[35] A tribute song was also dedicated to him the same month,[36] and a biographical comic book was released in September 2023.[37]
About three months prior to the kick-off of the
2023 Rugby World Cup opening match, a wax figure of Dupont went on display at the
Musée Grévin in Paris.[38]
Escot, Richard (2022). Anthologie des Bleus (in French). Paris: Éditions Solar.
ISBN978-2263180705.
David, Arnaud; Dorian, Jean-Pierre; Espitalier, Nicolas; Harté, Yves; Kappès-Grangé, Denys; Magnol, Thierry; Plagnol, Olivier (2023). 100 Bleus de légende : Les joueurs les plus emblématiques de l'histoire du rugby français (in French). Bordeaux: Éditions Sud Ouest.
ISBN978-2817710006.