Champions Cup: ‘We’ll be different with a full team’ says Romain Ntamack

Toulouse fly-half Romain Ntamack insists that the European champions are by no means done despite the uphill task facing them in Ulster this weekend.

The French side was hit by the early sending-off of wing Juan Cruz Mallia in a thrilling opening game, with Mallia’s opposite number Rob Baloucoune running in a hat-trick of tries in Ulster’s 26-20 win.

The champions now need to go to Kingspan Stadium and rack up the points against the United Rugby Championship‘s meanest defence, in a boiling atmosphere, but Ntamack reckons the holders have it in them to turn the tie around.

“We are working on what was positive last weekend, to improve and to continue in this direction,” he said to Midi-Olympique.

“Playing with fifteen men would be easier too! With fifteen men I think we could have put them under more pressure and won last week.

“Discipline will be important, but we have to just get rid of the small mistakes as well.”

There have been injury questions hanging over the squad all week too, with a number of the team only just back from the French Grand Slam campaign and the coaches and physios giving many players extra rest days.

But the full team did a big session in preparation on Thursday which Ntamack said was crucial in getting the team together for the challenge, while ensuring that the team will continue its attacking ethos.

“It’s true that it was a full-on match last weekend, with a lot of pace…. some players were put to rest at the beginning of the week and the others kept working,” continued Ntamack.

“But then here we are, we know that (in Ulster), it will be very hard with an even higher intensity of play.

“We had a big session today to keep the intensity and pace. So, honestly, I think over the weekend we’ll be ready and more attacking for Saturday.

“I don’t think we’re the favourites so honestly, we go there without worrying, we’ll play our rugby and have as much fun as possible.

“Last Saturday, most of the players who played, had a lot of fun despite the defeat and it had been a long time since we had played like that.

“Even in the complicated moments, in attack and in defence, we had a lot of fun restarting from the end of the field. We will go there with the same intentions and have no regrets at the final whistle.”

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