We’ve seen a lot from France captain Antoine Dupont, from breaks and incredible defence to booming kicks. Well maybe we can say we’ve seen it all after the clip of the moment Dupont deflates ball with a box-kick went around the rugby world.

Early in the second half, the nine hoisted a kick which Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn fielded. But right away the Edinburgh man knew something was up.

Here’s the moment Kinghorn catches a flat ball.

As you can see, the full-back signals something’s up to referee Nic Berry right away, with the Australian official who stopping the game.

As Berry said, “We are  going to need another ball. I’ve never seen that.”

Neither have we!

What was said about Dupont deflating ball?

The man himself said of the moment the ball deflates: “When I kicked the ball, I heard it whistle, so I suspected something was wrong.”

The French great’s kicking game is fascinating anyway, of course, and earlier in the month, Ulster scrum-half John Cooney wrote exclusively for Rugby World about the unique Antoine Dupont kicking strategy he uses in games (particularly with Toulouse).

In that piece, Cooney writes: “If you watch Antoine Dupont kicking though, he gets the ball to his foot very quickly because he is so powerful and doesn’t need to give himself that space.” We definitely all saw evidence of Dupont’s power with this nudge, anyway.

What did you make of the moment Dupont deflates the ball? Ever seen anything like that in a game before? Let us know via rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com or on social media.

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