The thing about Ntamack’s Top 14 final display France fans won’t want to admit
Saturday’s Top 14 final will forever be remembered as the game where France and Toulouse fly-half Romain Ntamack snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with his spectacular solo run in the dying seconds of the game.
The benefit of pulling something like that off at the end of the match means that everyone forgets what you did in the other 79 minutes of the match, and that might be useful for Ntamack. That is because the 24-year-old did not actually have his best game at the Stade de France against La Rochelle.
Of course, maybe the most noticeable moment of the No10’s game came in the closing stages as well, when his attempted penalty kick to the corner went long. That was bad, but his game was also littered with handling errors, loose kicks and indecision. He did not necessarily have a terrible game, but it was below the standard many have come to expect from him for France and Toulouse.
For France fans heading into a World Cup where Les Bleus are probably favourites, and where the final will be played at the same stadium as Saturday’s final, the encouraging thing is that Ntamack rose to the occasion at the most crucial moment. Then again, a poor performance might mean that the game will be out of sight before he has the chance to rescue it at the end. We will have to see how he reacts come the World Cup, and we might find out straight away with France playing the All Blacks in the opening game.
Take a look at Ntamack’s game:
