Antoine Dupont on "learning phase" of switch to sevens rugby, inclusion at Vancouver SVNS, and desire to avoid facing Teddy Riner

It was a decision that sent shockwaves through French rugby.

The national team captain and arguably the best men's fifteen-a-side player in the world right now, Antoine Dupont, announcing he wouldn't compete for his nation at the Six Nations Championships in Europe this month, to take up a new challenge.

Next weekend, instead of running out in front of 50,000 fans with his France first XV teammates to face Wales, Dupont will be in rather unfamiliar territory in Canada.

The 27-year-old has chosen a switch to the seven-a-side version of the sport, stepping away from his usual club and country commitments to compete in the SVNS World Series over the coming months, with the aim of being selected for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

But even for a legend of the oval ball, it hasn't been an easy process.

“There is a lot of changes," Dupont shared with the official French Olympic and Paralympic Team in an interview.

"Of course it’s the same sport but game principles are different, as well as physical and athletic profiles. So I’m in a learning phase for now.”

That learning phase will be put to the test at the Vancouver SVNS event (February 23-25), where much of the fan focus will be on the sporting superstar, following the confirmation that he has been included in the French 7s squad.

There's little doubt about his motivation.

“[The Olympics] represent the Holy Grail of the sport, as simply as that. We all have mythical souvenirs of what we saw on TV, and to be able to compete for a medal is already outstanding.”

To do so in front of a home crowd at the Stade de France in Paris in August is the goal, a venue he knows well from representing his country.

Dupont is also looking forward to watching some of the other sports taking place at the Olympic Games.

"It’s the occasion to watch sport that we are not use to watching, and to immerse your=self with the Olympic patriotic spirit, supporting the French in all disciplines."

But when asked if there was another sport he could switch to and compete for a medal in at Paris 2024, his answer was clear:

“None of them, clearly. When we see other athletes preparing in their sport, it shows not only the focus but also the level and quality each athlete in their discipline."

"I did a lot of sport, but the one I did most regularly would be tennis, although far, very far [from an elite level].”

Dupont singled out the event he perhaps would least like to compete in - a judo match with France's triple Olympic champion.

"If I’m on a tatami against Teddy Riner, it will be tough for me!" he laughed.