Against Perpignan, Romain Ntamack made his return to competition after a calf injury which deprived him of an autumn tour with the XV of France. The red and black opener is to be credited with a successful performance against Usap for his recovery.
No, it wasn't a dream. In the aftermath of the victory of the XV of France against ArgentinaRomain Ntamack was on Ernest-Wallon's side. Victim of a torn right calf on October 12, the fly-half did not take part in the fall tour with the Blues. It is therefore with the Stade Toulouse jersey on his shoulders that number 10 made his return to competition this Saturday. For those who didn't follow the game, you didn't have to wait long to see him in action.
Shortly before the tenth minute of play, Ntamack was behind his team's second try. While he occupied the opposing field with his foot, the French international followed the ball, took advantage of a favorable rebound to recover the leather from the nose and beard of Antoine Aucagne, the opposing opener. Caught by the Catalan defenders around ten meters before the line, he managed to free the ball, which Clément Vergé picked up from the ground and flattened in the in-goal. An action full of opportunism from the Habs. And as if luck smiled above all on the big players, the man with 37 caps came close to being penalized in the first act. After seeing his kicking game countered by Jefferson-Lee Joseph in his 22 meters, the Stade playmaker was able to take a good shot a few seconds later since the Perpignan fullback failed to flatten a ball which was rolling dangerously in the goal of the French champions. A simple warning in the end.
After this heatwave, the U20 world champion was “content” to masterfully lead the red and black game, without straining his talent. It was a recovery match, let's remember… In defense, he is credited with a good 8 out of 10 while against the posts, “NTK” comes out with a 5 out of 6. Because yes, with the absences of Thomas Ramos and Blair Kinghorn, he was the Haut-Garonnais scorer this Saturday evening. Replaced in the 70th minute by the young Simon Daroque, Romain Ntamack did the job. Without overplaying and without skimming over the debates, he perfectly led this Toulouse team deprived of all its internationals (or almost) and necessarily rejuvenated.
We saw the Roman we know
After the meeting, Paul Graou spoke on the return to business of the man with whom he formed the Toulouse hinge against Usap. In terms of fitness, all the signals are green: “He's very good. He's a very serious person so he worked very well during his convalescence period. Romain is in good shape and I hope he will have some big matches.”
An opinion shared by David Mélé, member of the Toulouse staff. A successful performance for a man who had not played again for a month and a half: “We saw the Roman we know. A leader who organizes the game around himself. He committed once in the first half and the action ended with a try so it's quite interesting When he plays his game, it's very hard to defend. He's a player who has the pass, the foot and the commitment… It was his return match, we know that he can be much better. it's very positive. We hope to quickly find him at his best level. the important deadlines that are coming.”
Next meeting for “NTK” and his team: a trip to Créteil to face Racing 92 next Saturday. A final championship match before starting the adventure in the Champions Cup, this competition so dear to the heart of Stade Toulouse.
France
