Antoine Dupont named Investec Player of the Year after leading Toulouse to sixth European trophy

Antoine Dupont picked up the Investec Player of the Year award following his side’s 31-22 win over Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup final.

The Toulouse captain became the first player to win the prestigious award twice after picking it up in 2021 after his side’s Champions Cup win over La Rochelle. 

Dupont was stunning in the tense battle with Leinster, which lasted 100 minutes after the two sides went into extra time, drawing 15-15 at the end of the regular 80 minutes. The win was Toulouse's sixth European title - two more than Leinster.

"In extra time, we knew it was going to be tough," Dupont said after the 2024 final. "We know that in extra time, you have to dig deep.

"We just had to throw ourselves into the battle and not give up, demonstrating an extraordinary state of mind. In those minutes, it was all in the mind.

"It's pure happiness quite simply [to win the trophy]. It's an emotion that's hard to describe in words. You work so hard for it.

"When you're this close to the trophy, you have to go all the way because you don't know when it will happen again. We know how difficult it is to win this competition. This year, we felt we had what it took to go all the way."

He was presented with the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy by Olive Foley and her sons, Tony and Dan, as well as a specially engraved medal following the showpiece match. The trophy has been named after the former Munster head coach since he passed away in 2016.

There was a public verdict consisting of almost 30,000 votes combined with a panel of expert judges to award the world-class scrum-half the accolade.

Four Leinster players were nominated for the award: Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Dan Sheehan. Northampton Saints duo Courtney Lawes and Fin Smith were also nominated alongside Harlequins playmaker Marcus Smith.

The judging panel consisted of Jim Hamilton [two-time Champions Cup winner], Francois Louw [2019 World Cup winner], Ugo Monye [two-time EPCR Challenge Cup winner], Elma Smit [sports presenter and producer], Dimitri Yachvili [EPCR Challenge Cup winner].

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