The Japan Times - Parisian cabaret dancers help inspire France to Olympic rugby gold

Dupont came off the bench to mastermind France's 28-7 defeat of two-time Olympic champions Fiji for the hosts' first gold of the 2024 Paris Games.

The win thrilled a raucous crowd of nearly 70,000 at the Stade de France, who were then treated to an unexpected Saturday night extra.

Dupont and company had not only been busy training on the pitch but also taking private lessons alongside dancers from the Moulin Rouge, one of the French capital's iconic cabarets in Pigalle.

With gold in the bag they proudly displayed their newfound moves in a dance to American actor and rapper Will Smith's "Miami" -- delighting the packed house.

"We decided to do this before the final," revealed 33-year-old back Jean-Pascal Barraque.

"Our dance teacher was in the stands, it was to pay tribute to her. Dance has never been our main area of expertise, and it still isn't!"

"We learned this little routine a while ago," explained another member of Dupont's "troupe", Jefferson-Lee Joseph.

And he suggested it may have helped them on their way to the title.

"It's about our mastery of tempo, it's being able to handle weak moments, to be able to handle our emotions and also selfish behaviour," he said.

Dance, he said, meant "coming out of your comfort zone and today (Saturday) we came out of our comfort zone but we were able to remain strong".

The French sevens dance maestro was choreographer Laure Bontaz, who told the official Olympic website: "The players worked on synchronisation, coordination and changes in rhythm.

"We try with the coach Jerome Daret to improve performance on the pitch by using things from life that we are not used to finding in rugby."

Daret is no stranger to deploying unusual techniques as a rugby coach.

Last November he arranged a training trip to Fiji, also a day with a lifeboat crew off the French coast, and now this adventure into the hitherto unknown world of French cabaret.

"He has a surprising way of management, but in a good way," said French sevens skipper Paulin Riva.

"He tries to get the most out of players, often with a smile. I've never really seen him yell at us -- and that, in the world of rugby, is surprising."

Daret, in the post since 2017, announced late Saturday that he was standing down as the team's coach after this triumphant "last dance".

S.Suzuki--JT