Today in Sports
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
  • DMCA
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
No Result
View All Result
Today in Sports
No Result
View All Result

France revel in fleeting return of near-telepathic Dupont-Ntamack pairing | France rugby union team

February 1, 2025
in Rugby
0
Home Rugby
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

Trash-talk and rough sleeping: following the 2001 Lions’ tour of Australia | British & Irish Lions

Maxx Crosby Loves The Energy Pete Carroll Is Bringing To The Raiders

Kyren Williams Excited To Play With Davante Adams

Dominating the buildup to France’s Six Nations opener was the imminent return of its gilded charnière – the “hinge”, a term used for the half-back partnership – after nearly a year and a half apart. With Les Bleus, Antoine Dupont had last played alongside Romain Ntamack in the ill-fated World Cup warm-up against Scotland when the latter suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament that sidelined him for eight months.

While the captain had already retuned from his Olympic exploits in the autumn, there was a sense that the Toulouse pair could finally elevate France back to the heights of the 2022 Grand Slam. That year, they had already established themselves as the most-used partnership in the history of the XV de France.

On Friday at the Stade de France, the hosts appeared in control from start to finish, despite never really hitting full stride. Dupont would duly punish a comparatively inexperienced but valiant Wales by setting up three of four first-half tries.

While he was brought off early in the second half with a calf issue, France’s orchestrator-in-chief was once again the standout player, alongside an imperious Grégory Alldritt. His substitution was “more preventative than anything else”, Dupont clarified after the match – reassuring fans that he will be in the squad at Twickenham, unlike Ntamack.

There would be flashes of the near-telepathic understanding between the two in the first half, with the fly-half taking a back seat and acting as a facilitator for Dupont’s habitual brilliance. The first red card of his professional career, though, brought an early end to his return to the national team setup. While Fabien Galthié has explained that Les Bleus will appeal the sending-off, Ntamack’s involvement next Saturday appears improbable at best.

His absence offers an unexpected shot at redemption for Matthieu Jalibert, who was again dropped from the squad before Friday night’s match. The Bordeaux No 10’s rocky relationship with the France staff came to the fore when he was initially dropped for the latter two games in the last autumn internationals. In his place, the versatile Thomas Ramos impressed and ostensibly established himself as France’s second-choice fly-half.

With eight points in the first half, Ramos overtook Christophe Lamaison as France’s second all-time topscorer. While he struggled a couple of times in the air, the Toulouse man set the tone for another display of technical ease with a 50-22 within the first two minutes of the match. Should he switch positions against England, the ensuing gap left at full-back could be filled by any one of Romain Buros, Léo Barré (who missed Friday’s match due to a concussion), Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and Théo Attissogbé.

The Pau winger, the latest under-20 world champion to graduate to the senior team after first appearing this summer, ensured that Damian Penaud’s absence was scarcely felt. With four tries in his first four caps, last year’s Top 14 breakout player of the season is already putting up scoring rates similar to Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey. “I’m staying level-headed on the situation, but I do have ambition,” he said. ”I know Damian is ahead of me, but that only motivates me to work hard to reach the level of the best French wingers.”

On the opposite wing, Bielle-Biarrey’s proficiency is no longer a surprise and his 16 tries in as many outings this season have cemented his place among the world’s finest in his position.

After a middling 2024, last year’s captain in Alldritt now appears back to his best. La Rochelle’s No 8 proved to be the main driving force with the ball in hand, on top of a ubiquitous defensive display. While aided by Wales’ slow attacks, the stand-in centre Pierre-Louis Barassi and Bordeaux’s Yoram Moefana were also impressive in defence, despite limited attacking output.

France’s Grégory Alldritt was the main driving force with the ball in hand. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

The celebratory mood in the second half would be interrupted, though, by two brief moments of protest from the French crowd. The introductions of Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou, in the 50th and 60th minutes respectively, were greeted to whistles from sections of the Stade de France. The two players were recently cleared of charges of aggravated rape following their arrest during France’s tour of Argentina last summer, having returned home in September following their detention in the western city of Mendoza. The plaintiff has appealed the decision.

“There was a legal trial, as there should be, but from the moment they’re available for selection, they have a right to a second chance. They have a right to redemption,” insisted Galthié after the match. Their call-ups have nevertheless proved divisive among French fans.

“Having an 80% win rate doesn’t mean much if we’re not winning titles,” Dupont said on the eve of the game. Les Bleus are all too aware of the pressure to win more than the solitary tournament that this generation’s talents should command. A straightforward win over a stuttering Welsh side has confirmed their status as Ireland’s main challengers, but the real tests will come in the next few weeks.

“I think some players towards the end had their minds on Twickenham, and rightly so,” the captain said after the 43-0 victory. Emerging from their three away trips unscathed, before hosting Scotland mid-March, would indeed show that team is well on its way to finally fulfilling its lofty potential.



Source link

Tags: DupontNtamackfleetingFranceneartelepathicPairingreturnrevelRugbyteamunion
Share30Tweet19

Recommended For You

Trash-talk and rough sleeping: following the 2001 Lions’ tour of Australia | British & Irish Lions

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 27, 2025
0
Trash-talk and rough sleeping: following the 2001 Lions’ tour of Australia | British & Irish Lions

June 2001. I’m on an overnight Greyhound bus from Cairns to Townsville. A typical post-university year travelling in Australia and New Zealand has taken an unwelcome turn after...

Read more

Maxx Crosby Loves The Energy Pete Carroll Is Bringing To The Raiders

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 26, 2025
0
Maxx Crosby Loves The Energy Pete Carroll Is Bringing To The Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are once again entering a new era with a new head coach. Pete Carroll is taking the reins after one year with Antonio Pierce at...

Read more

Kyren Williams Excited To Play With Davante Adams

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 26, 2025
0
Kyren Williams Excited To Play With Davante Adams

Although the Los Angeles Rams released franchise icon Cooper Kupp earlier in the offseason, they rebounded quickly by agreeing to terms with Davante Adams in free agency. Adams...

Read more

The Best Moments of the 2024/25 Champions Cup

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 26, 2025
0
The Best Moments of the 2024/25 Champions Cup

The Champions Cup has concluded, and European rugby’s premier competition delivered some great moments.  We saw plenty of drama in the pool stages, a lot of shocks in the knockouts and a very evenly...

Read more

Super Sacha up for URC top gong

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 26, 2025
0
Super Sacha up for URC top gong

Stormers and Springbok playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of three nominees for South Africa’s Vodacom URC Player of the Season accolade. Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Vodacom Bulls forwards Cameron Hanekom...

Read more
Next Post
Marcus Rashford closes in on shock Aston Villa loan transfer

Marcus Rashford closes in on shock Aston Villa loan transfer

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related News

Adesanya’s Dwell Response To Ngannou’s MMA Return

Adesanya’s Dwell Response To Ngannou’s MMA Return

October 21, 2024
1st Common Season FAB 50: Shock Motion!

1st Common Season FAB 50: Shock Motion!

December 3, 2024
Harry Kane, Ethan Nwaneri, and more

Harry Kane, Ethan Nwaneri, and more

February 20, 2025

Browse by Category

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
Today in Sports

Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net. Soccer News, Basketball News, Baseball News, Golf News, Boxing News and More!

CATEGORIES

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis

Recent News

  • Ruben Amorim ridiculized Alejandro Garnacho in front of Manchester United teammates for 3-word message
  • Real Betis boss Pellegrini sends clear message about Antony ahead of Conference League final vs. Chelsea
  • Chelsea are open to the sale of 27-year-old goalkeeper Robert Sanchez
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.