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Less than two months after Ma’a Nonu purchased into Major League Rugby membership San Diego Legoin, arguably the sport’s absolute best participant, Antoine Dupont, has adopted swimsuit by way of purchasing a stake right into a rival membership.
The French captain, whose corporate is Ouest Coast, has purchased into Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (RFCLA).
Dupont, the 2021 World Rugby participant of the 12 months, stated he used to be inquisitive about the prospective expansion of rugby in the US, with the country to host the boys’s (2031) and girls’s (2033) World Cups, in addition to the LA Olympics in 2028.
“Rugby is more than just a sport; it’s a community with strong values,” Dupont stated in a observation.
“Beyond competitive success on the pitch for RFCLA, I am excited by the opportunity to grow rugby’s popularity in the States and establish an energetic hub of rugby culture that attracts players, fans, teams, and partners from around the world.
“Los Angeles is a unique place, combining the best of sports, entertainment, fashion, and culture – I can’t think of any other place that provides such opportunities for youth development, high performance, and commercial success to go hand-in-hand.”
Antoine Dupont has been noticed dressed in RFCLA apparel in contemporary months since getting back from Los Angeles. Photo: Twitter
The resolution comes months after the 28-year-old hung out travelling across the United States of America, together with a stint in Los Angeles.
Dupont has since been noticed dressed in RFCLA package, fuelling hypothesis that the superstar halfback used to be taking into account becoming concerned with the MLR facet.
RFCLA leader government Pete Sickle stated he used to be extremely joyful with the intention to unveil Dupont as a part-owner on the membership.
“We feel very privileged that Antoine has chosen RFCLA as the pathway to inspire new rugby players and fans and to join us in growing a global rugby brand,” Sickle stated.
“He is as dedicated to expanding the rugby community as he is to competing on the pitch and his vision for integrating the athleticism and core values of rugby will prove invaluable to building a bright future for rugby in LA and throughout the U.S.”
The announcement comes after The Roar published previous this month that World Rugby and SANZAAR officers have been taking into account increasing to the US. It’s believed Sickle has spoken with New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson and Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh.
While the 2 aren’t immediately hooked up, it’s some other indication that facets on america west coast are changing into more and more formidable forward of the World Cup.
France’s Antoine Dupont (centre) lifts the trophy with teammates after profitable the 2022 Six Nations. (Photo by way of Adam Davy/PA Images by way of Getty Images)
“I mean, from our perspective, having a really successful Rugby World Cup in the US and the national teams be competitive are separate but connected,” he stated.
“And, as I said earlier, we certainly are really excited about what the women’s 15 and sevens teams are doing globally.
“We met with the US board on Monday and they would agree that there’s more to do around how do we lift the standard of their men’s team.
“Certainly the MLR is playing a role, the Anthem team is playing a role, but if there was an opportunity in Super Rugby – and that’s a competition we don’t own and control, that’s in the hands of New Zealand and Australia, were wanting to talk to us about participation, or if it was the URC (United Rugby Championship) wanting to talk about participation – we could work collectively on a conversation around that.
“The Drua is a great story. Rugby Australia, with World Rugby, invested in the NRC for three years, then elevated to the Drua playing in the Super Rugby, and then the Fijians go to quarterfinals at the World Cup. So that’s a well-trodden path, systemically built together by leveraging World Rugby and the member unions, and if there was an opportunity to try and do something similar in the US, we’re open to that conversation.”
Robinson informed The Roar Rugby podcast that he used to be within the alternatives and markets that the US would open up, including that the time zone of the west coast made it one thing that Oceania audiences may watch.
“I mean the competition is Super Rugby Pacific, and obviously that West Coast is on the Pacific Rim, so that would be one of the considerations,” he stated.
