Antoine Dupont will once again have to make room on his shelf. The scrum-half of Toulouse and the XV of France continues to collect the rewards. On Monday night, he was named the best player in the Top 14 and the best Blue player of last season at the Nuit du rugby in Paris.

The 27-year-old Antoine Dupont (52 caps) had already scored the same double two years ago. "It obviously validates the work and the fact that we don't just have a good season but manage to string them together," he said after receiving his trophies at the ceremony held at L'Olympia.

An unbeatable best French international

In the Top 14, he succeeds Montpellier's English back-row Zach Mercer, who was crowned the best player in the league last season and has since moved to Gloucester. The Stade Toulousain No.9 also won the title of best French international for the third time in a row, ahead of La Rochelle back-row Grégory Alldritt and Clermont and Bordeaux-Bègles winger Damian Penaud.

"To have the recognition of your peers, whether it's the other players who elect me, it's true that it means a lot and it's always nice to feel recognized by the people you play against every weekend," added Antoine Dupont.

A leading figure in French rugby, captain of Les Bleus, quarter-finalists of the 2023 World Cup, "AD9" will join the group that will prepare for the rugby sevens event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, effectively skipping the next edition of the Six Nations Championship.

Toulouse celebrates

It was therefore also a great evening for Toulouse. The Rouge et Noir, reigning champions of France, completed their raid with the trophy of best staff, awarded to Ugo Mola, Laurent Thuéry, Clément Poitrenaud and Jean Bouilhou. Then that of the best try, scored by fly-half Romain Ntamack, in the final of the Top 14, ahead of La Rochelle (29-26), at the end of a crazy race.

Oyonnax prop Thomas Laclayat, who joined Racing 92 this summer, has been named the best player in Pro D2 while young Pau centre Émilien Gailleton is the revelation of last season. Blagnac centre Gabrielle Vernier, who was named one of World Rugby's best players of the year, won the title of best international.

The winners of the Nuit du rugby 2023

Best player in the Top 14: Antoine Dupont (Toulouse)

Best player in Pro D2: Thomas Laclayat (Oyonnax then Racing 92)

Revelation of the Year: Émilien Gailleton (Pau)

Best French International Player: Antoine Dupont (Toulouse)

Best Supersevens Player: Esteban Capilla (Bayonne)

Best French International Player: Gabrielle Vernier (Blagnac)

Referee of the Year: Mathieu Raynal

Best staff in the Top 14: Toulouse (Mola, Bouilhou, Poitrenaud, Thuéry)

Best Pro D2 staff: Oyonnax (El Abd, Cibray, Codling, Debaty)

Best try: Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), against La Rochelle

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