Dupont and Ntamack hold the key to latest French revolution
Toulouse’s supremely talented young duo can provide the spark for Brunel’s side if given sufficient time to develop
DURING the 2006 football World Cup, France’s then manager Raymond Domenech infamously relied on zodiac star signs when selecting his starting XI. The enigmatic Domenech admitted that he would also read tarot cards to gauge a player’s personality and that France went on to reach the final under such bizarre circumstances was quite an achievement in itself.
Jacques Brunel (65) may not share Domenech’s (67) views on tarot cards, as his approach to picking his French team has been more akin to someone throwing a deck of cards in the air and seeing which way they fall.
Having watched England tear Ireland asunder with their intelligent kicking game, Brunel seemingly learned nothing as the following week he named two centres on each wing and a winger at full-back.
The hammering that followed was as inevitable as Les Bleus turning it around against Scotland the following week, but only when Brunel picked something closer to what should be the first-choice XV.
Central to that selection were Antoine Dupont (the form scrum-half in the country) and Romain Ntamack (the coming star), who were named together at half-back for the first time.
That it took Dupont three games to start says more about Brunel than it does about the 22-year-old’s fine performances for Toulouse this season.
Given Morgan Parra’s struggles against Wales and England, the onetime maestro’s days on the international stage may well be numbered.
France aren’t exactly short of exciting young scrum-halves as Dupont is scrapping with Baptiste Serin (24), while Baptiste Couilloud and Arthur Coville, who are a year younger, are coming fast on his shoulder.
Maxime Machenaud will also feel that he can force his way back in, but six months out from the World Cup it is time for Brunel to back Dupont and allow him to develop this potentially potent partnership with Ntamack.
The son of former France great Emile, Romain still has a way to go before being a Test match quality outhalf who can run a game.
If the Scotland clash was his first proper audition, then it is difficult not to be excited about how good this gifted 19-year old can become.
In what was his first start in the French No 10 jersey, Ntamack showcased his array of skills and looked to the manor born.
Any other coach in world rugby would back him to reproduce the goods against Ireland this weekend, yet the erratic Brunel has proved time and time again that he doesn’t exactly think in a conventional manner.
The problem Ntamack faces is that he is not Toulouse’s first-choice outhalf. Instead, that is Thomas Ramos (23), who impressed at full-back in the win over Scotland.
If ever there was evidence of the classic muddled French thinking, this is it. The clubs operate on the basis of what is best for them, while the national team do their own thing.
Compare that to what happens in Ireland and you can see why the IRFU’s system works so well.
Having won the rights to host the 2023 World Cup, there is no doubt that France are building towards that.
Immense
However, we are already seeing players from last year’s U-20s team who won the World Cup putting their hands up for selection now.
Ntamack was immense for the U-20s, and so was tighthead Demba Bamba, who was man of the match against Scotland two weeks ago.
The reality facing Brunel is that he is highly unlikely to be around for that next World Cup, which means he needs results now, but even still it is hard to ignore the quality that is breaking through at the moment.
When Dupont and Ntamack started together against Scotland, it was the 11th different half-back partnership that France have had in less than two years. What odds on that becoming 12 this weekend?
The pair’s time together, or lack of, with Toulouse may count against them in some people’s eyes, but with France’s Six Nations hopes already dead in the water, there is no better time to allow their partnership the necessary time to flourish.
If that happens they will have to learn quickly how to control a game because both electric youngsters are quite similar in the running threat that they pose.
Dupont has made seven clean breaks in the limited game time he has had in the Six Nations. To put that into context, only Scotland winger Blair Kinghorn has more. Add in the 11 defenders he has beaten and you
can see his threat around the fringes.
Ntamack may well end up playing in the centre further down the line, but for now, given France’s alternative options, there is plenty of merit in starting him at out-half, especially if Ramos (a decent goal kicker) is given the nod from full-back.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but if Brunel nails his colours to the mast and backs Dupont and Ntamack from now until the World Cup, the exciting duo have the potential to spearhead the latest French revolution by the time Les Bleus arrive in Japan.