dad, Émile, an elegant threequarter
capped 46 times for France in the
1990s. “Dad’s been coaching me since
I was very young and today I still ask
his advice,” says Romain. “Sometimes
I ask him to watch a game and analyse
a specific aspect of my game. He’s
always very precise in his comments.”
Ntamack senior played in two World
Cups, finishing third in 1995 and as a
runner-up to Australia four years later.
The chances of his son going one better
in Japan are slim. In fact, some in France
believe their boys could fail to reach the
knockout phase of the tournament for
the first time, an ignominy that they alone
of the Six Nations sides have avoided in
the eight previous World Cups.
Not only do England and Argentina
await France but they are also grouped
with Tonga, who beat them in the 2011
World Cup. “The fact we’re outsiders
could suit us well,” says Dupont. “Most
people think we’re not going to make it
out of the group, so with expectations
so low there will be less pressure on our
France
shoulders. But at
the same time we
know we have the
talent to beat big
teams. After all, we
beat England and
Argentina last year,
so we’ve got the capability.”
Ntamack cites the lack of consistency
as the principal cause of France’s
steady descent from a Tier One country
to a lower-ranked rugby nation in recent
years. “We used to be known for being
unpredictable from one match to the
next,” he says ruefully. “Now, as we
showed in this year’s Six Nations against
Wales, we’re unpredictable from one
half to the next. It’s about correcting
small details because if we do that
we’ll gain in confidence and that’s
always been key to French teams.”
France is right not to expect much
from the World Cup. The wrong coach,
Brunel, is in charge and the new
generation is neither physically nor
mentally ready. But 2023 is another
matter. For a start it’s in France, and by
then the likes of Dupont, Ramos and
Ntamack will be at their peak. They will
also – if all goes well – have had four
years of coaching and management
from the new staff of Fabien Galthié,
Shaun Edwards, William Servat and
Raphaël Ibañez. Asked what they know
of Edwards, Ntamack replies: “We’ve
seen what he’s done with Wales and
how their success has been built on a
brilliant defence, so we hope he can
bring that organisation to France.”
Maybe les Bleus, like Toulouse, are
on the brink of an unprecedented era of
international dominance that will climax
with their winning the Webb Ellis Cup in
October 2023. Then again, didn’t I write
something similar 17 years ago? Perhaps
it’s best just to sit back and enjoy the
ride that is always French rugby. n
“We were known for being
unpredictable from one
match to the next. Now
it’s one half to the next”
Soft hands
Ntamack offloads
He can kick it
Ramos is accurate
from the tee
The future’s bright
The next generation for
Toulouse and France
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Patrick Derewiany & Getty Images