France will have to adapt to the absence of fly-half Romain Ntamack after his shoulder injury ruled him out of the rest of the Championnat des Nations, team captain Antoine Dupont said Saturday. The exit of Ntamack, a key playmaker, comes after his departure from the match against Fiji with a shoulder problem.
The French squad secured a 54-17 victory over Fiji in Lyon, but the win was overshadowed by the injury to Ntamack. The 26-year-old, who has 42 caps for France, was forced off the pitch in the 34th minute, holding his left arm in a sling. He left the field with his left arm tucked into his shirt, his face showing clear signs of pain.
“It’s another injured player, and a fairly serious one at that,” Dupont stated after the match. “And above all, he seemed to be in a lot of pain. Obviously, with the closeness I have with Romain, it’s always hard to see a friend get injured, especially when he’s suffering.”
Dupont expressed sympathy for Ntamack, who had been in good form at the start of the season. “It’s a pity for us, but especially for him, because he was having a good start to the season, he felt good, he had managed to string matches together,” the captain explained.
Ntamack Suffers Shoulder Injury During Breakthrough Run
The injury occurred during a breakthrough run by Ntamack deep inside the Fijian defense. The play concluded with a try from prop Sipili Falatea, which was successfully converted by Kalvin Gourgues. He was aligned with his club partner Antoine Dupont in the half-back position for the first time in a year and a half, a period during which both men have experienced several injuries.
Head coach Fabien Galthié confirmed that Ntamack left the game for examinations, revealing the fly-half felt his shoulder pop out of place shortly after the half-hour mark. Following the injury, Galthié was forced to reorganize the backline, bringing on scrum-half Maxime Lucu to replace Ntamack at fly-half. Dupont, in turn, shifted to fly-half.
“He [Ntamack] went for scans and felt his shoulder pop out,” Galthié said. “He was replaced by Maxime Lucu, who also took over the kicking duties, with Dupont moving to fly-half.”
Prepared for the Change, Dupont Says
The transition was made smoother by prior planning, according to Dupont. The team had practiced this exact scenario for the past two weeks, with Lucu taking snaps at fly-half during training sessions.
“We had already worked like this for two weeks. It was the rotation we had planned,” Dupont said. “It happened quite easily. Maxime was able to work at the 10 position over the last two weeks, and he’s used to playing there with Bordeaux too, so it happened quite naturally.”
The on-field partnership between Lucu and Dupont appeared to work well after Maxime Lucu replaced Romain Ntamack at halfback. Galthié praised the pair’s composure and performance in the reshuffled backline. “They got on well, they controlled the game well with Antoine, they tried to animate it well,” Galthié said of the new combination. “They are players of great talent, of experience, who did not panic.”
Bigger Picture: A “Restrained” Performance and the Test Ahead
Despite the victory, Galthié was not entirely satisfied with the team’s overall performance, citing a lack of fluidity at times. “It’s true that we can’t say we are totally satisfied with our performance, but at the same time, we are restarting, we were a bit restrained, we were reciting at times,” he admitted.
The coach’s focus quickly turned to the team’s next major challenge: a match against South Africa this Friday. Galthié promised a response from his team.
“I can promise that we will go and find something deeply ingrained in us,” Galthié declared, looking ahead to the clash with the Springboks.
Context of an Injury-Ravaged Squad
Ntamack’s injury is the latest blow to a French squad already missing several players. Before this international gathering, Galthié was already without several players, including Thomas Ramos, Thibaud Flament, or Emmanuel Meafou.
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