May 27, 2026 — 8:30amThe list of titles and accomplishments earned by French rugby superstar Antoine Dupont is long enough to need a “Greatest Hits”.The nuggety halfback has been a crucial figure in France becoming one of the world’s best teams this decade, steering them to two six Nations titles, wins over the big southern powers and, in 2022, the world no.1 ranking for the first time.Dupont has been named the World Rugby Player of the Year, the Six Nations MVP three times and he’s also helped his club Toulouse win two European Cups and the last four Top 14 titles.Dupont even switched to sevens ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics and bossed that too: France won a shock gold medal and he was named World Sevens Player of the Year; the only person to do the XVs/7s double.As far as ball-on-string-ability, think Nathan Cleary - but much better paid. Dupont, 29, last year signed a five-year deal with Toulouse that made him the highest-paid rugby player of any code - ever - at a tidy A$2.4 million a season.After the Olympic heroics, some over-excited debate in the north asked if Dupont was not just one of the best to have played rugby, but could he even be the greatest of all time?The lack of Rugby World Cup success that other GOAT claimants have - Carter, McCaw etc - is strong enough to end that debate (Dupont and France were knocked out in the quarters in 2019 and 2023).But for many, the sealer is another glaring hole on the Dupont CV: he has not played a minute in Australia or New Zealand. In a 64-Test career, Dupont has played 25 minutes in the southern hemisphere, off the bench in South Africa as a rookie in 2017.Whether that will change in coming months, via an appearance by Dupont against the Wallabies in Brisbane in July, is a topic that will gather steam, and has already being the subject of some high-level diplomatic discussions in world rugby.Antoine Dupont passes the ball during the Six Nations against Ireland.Getty ImagesThe reasons behind Dupont’s Tasman-phobia are mixed - he missed tours of New Zealand in 2018 and 2025 due to ACL injuries - but if fit he’d have at least skipped the latter tour, for the same reason he didn’t tour Australia in 2021, or Argentina in 2024. He’s too valuable.Clubs are hugely powerful in French rugby, and have agreements in place with the French Rugby Federation (FFR) to ensure superstars of Dupont’s calibre are protected from burnout.With the domestic Top 14 season running from September to end of June - and lasting up to 29 games - the French don’t regard Test tours in July as a priority, and instead direct a core group of stars to use the month as part of an eight-week block of leave.Part of it is logistical. The Top 14 final is usually held a week before the first Test of the July window.It was for this reason - and the demands of COVID quarantine - that Dupont didn’t play in Australia in 2021; a series that saw the Wallabies beat an inexperienced France. Almost half of the 42-man Les Bleus squad were uncapped.COVID departed as a problem but coach Fabien Galthie has stuck with the same script since, sending his best to the beach instead of a summer tour, arguing it is good for his goal of building the depth needed to win a World Cup.In 2025, New Zealand were miffed at the disrespect when France left a pool of 20 “premium players” at home, but in a sign of the strength of French rugby, the All Blacks were still pushed hard in three Tests by the “B” squad.The protectionism is driven by the rich clubs, and in January the LNR and FFR signed a five-year agreement that included - among other things - a formal block on players who participate in the Top 14 final from playing for France a week later in a July Test.Wallabies halfback Tate McDermott crossing for a five-pointer against France in July 2021.GettyThe difference this year, however, is July is no longer home to the usual “meaningless” tours to the south.It will see the first running of the Nations Championship - a competition where the Six Nations sides and the Rugby Championship sides (plus Fiji and Japan) will play each other once, across July and November, and based on points accrued from those Tests, a finals weekend will be staged in London at the end of November.France will play New Zealand in Christchurch on July 4, the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 11 and Japan in Tokyo on July 18.Galthie said in January that players involved in the Top 14 final will not play against the All Blacks. And given Toulouse are miles ahead on the ladder with two rounds left and are odds-on to win a fifth, it looks likely Dupont won’t pop his New Zealand cherry. Nor the likes of Romain Ntamack or Aussie-raised Manny Meafou.The door was left open by Galthie and the FFR for Dupont et al to fly out to Brisbane a week later, but that was received by many as unconvincing.Informed sources not authorised to comment say World Rugby subsequently stressed to France they need to re-discover the global practice of fielding their strongest side for the good of Test rugby, and it was a message echoed by some of the other Six Nations and SANZAAR unions, too.The Nations Championship is a joint-venture run by those two bodies - not World Rugby - and that could be influential to France actually sending Dupont. All commercial revenue from the tournament will be pooled and distributed, so they stand to make money this July. In the past, they’d only keep revenue from the November Tests.Organisers hope the chance to be crowned the best Test nation in 2026 in the final at Twickenham is also a motivation for all nations. How much remains to be seen, and particularly if France will keep July Tests in the low-priority file, back their “B” squad to keep them afloat, and keep clubs happy by giving stars like Dupont a holiday ahead of the bigger kahuna - the 2027 Rugby World Cup.But funnily enough, it’s that same kahuna that may prove to be the biggest driver of Dupont being flown into Brisbane and trotting onto Suncorp Stadium in July.To win a Rugby World Cup, France and their much-vaunted superstar have to win a series of massive games - and they are all in Australia. And after exiting in the quarters in the last three World Cups, where is the probable venue of France’s quarter-final in the 2027 Rugby World Cup?You guessed it: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.It may be time for Monsieur Dupont to finally get that Aussie stamp in his passport.From our partners