Romain Ntamack: World Cup ‘trauma’ affected more than just France’s 23
Antoine Dupont of France is dejected following the World Cup 2023 with an inset of Romain Ntamack.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final has been an unavoidable topic this week as France and South Africa collide for the first time since the two sides met in Marseille two years ago.
France were dubbed as heavy favourites heading into their home tournament with Fabien Galthie armed with arguably the best player in the world, captaining the side and a golden generation of stars.
However, it was not to be as the farcical early draw of the World Cup pools meant that Les Bleus met the defending champion Springboks in the quarter-finals.
Traumatic loss
A match of epic proportions unfolded, with South Africa progressing to the semi-finals, winning the fixture by a single point – breaking the hearts of the French public and players, even those not in the matchday 23.
Romain Ntamack, whose World Cup dream was crushed before the tournament even began, sustaining a gutting long-term injury, confirms as much as he prepares to take on the back-to-back World Cup winners this week.
Maxime Lucu said that South Africa ‘stole’ France’s World Cup, and while Ntamack didn’t echo his teammate’s sentiments, he does not hide from the fact that the result impacted the French players – those who played in the match and those who didn’t.
“It’s a big challenge,” the son of France legend Emile Ntamack said in an interview with RugbyRama ahead of the grudge match at the Stade de France.
“I wasn’t part of that World Cup quarter-final squad, but the trauma affected more than just the 23 players on the team sheet.
“Since then, all that has passed, and now we’re focused on Saturday night’s match.”
Ntamack had a string of unfortunate injuries after the one that robbed him of the opportunity to feature at the World Cup, but did help Les Bleus lift the Six Nations title earlier this year.
Performance matters, not just the result
Looking ahead to his first November international campaign since 2022, Ntamack says that he feels like a kid again.
“I feel light, happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to start a November tour at 100% of my physical capacity,” he added.
“Day to day, I’m having a huge amount of fun and feel fantastic. I’m approaching this event a bit like a kid wearing the French national jersey for the first time.”
While France will be eager to get a win over Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks on Saturday evening, Ntamack says that producing a collective performance is just as important.
“This match is important because we are playing the two-time world champions. Regardless of the result, I want to say: the performance must give us collective experience in preparation for the rest of the autumn tour and, later, the World Cup,” he said.
Following the clash with South Africa, France will host Fiji and Australia.
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