1
Romain Ntamack enfin de retour avec Toulouse
Le demi d’ouverture Romain Ntamack devrait faire son retour ce week-end après la rupture du ligament croisé antérieur du genou gauche survenue le 12 août dernier lors d’un match de préparation contre l’Ecosse qui l’avait privé de la Coupe du Monde de Rugby l’an dernier.
ADVERTISEMENT
Toulouse reçoit Pau samedi 30 mars dans le cadre de la 20e journée de Top 14, et plusieurs médias ont rapporté la réponse de l’entraîneur de la défense Laurent Thuéry lorsqu’il a été interrogé sur le retour du joueur de 24 ans.
« Romain Ntamack sera dans le groupe ce week-end pour la réception de Pau », a déclaré Laurent Thuéry en conférence de presse jeudi 28 mars.
« Il a envie, il est prêt. Mais il faudra être patient et lui laisser le temps de digérer sa reprise. Il envoie des signaux très positifs. Les premières minutes lui laveront rapidement la tête et on retrouvera vite le Romain que l’on connaît tous. »
Samedi devrait donc marquer la première fois que le demi d’ouverture revêtira à nouveau le maillot du Stade Toulousain depuis la finale du Top 14 contre La Rochelle l’année dernière, où il avait inscrit un essai sensationnel en solitaire pour remporter le match.
Même s’il est peu probable qu’il joue longtemps contre la Section Paloise samedi soir au stade Ernest-Wallon, il contribuera à soulager les lignes arrières de Toulouse qui souffrent actuellement de blessures, Thomas Ramos et Ange Capuozzo étant tous deux indisponibles.
Ntamack pourra également reformer sa charnière emblématique avec le demi de mêlée Antoine Dupont, qui est revenu la semaine dernière au format à XV après une expérience très réussie en rugby à sept, alors qu’il se prépare pour les Jeux olympiques de Paris.
ADVERTISEMENT
Face à face
5 dernières rencontres
Victoires
2
Nuls
0
Victoires
3
Moyenne de points marqués
22
21
Le premier essai gagne
80%
L'équipe recevante gagne
100%
Un suspens savamment alimenté
Le retour de Romain Ntamack se dessine depuis plusieurs mois. Quelques jours avant Noël, exactement 129 jours après sa blessure, il postait déjà une vidéo sur les réseaux sociaux. Pendant 26 secondes, on le voyait d’abord mettre ses crampons, puis s’entretenir avec son préparateur physique au bord du terrain, puis courir au petit trot.
Une longueur, puis une autre et une autre encore. Il enchaînait ainsi sans montrer la moindre gêne. Le message qui accompagnait la vidéo sur X (ex-Twitter) était tout aussi limpide : « Crampons aux pieds, premier retour sur le terrain ».
Dans une interview à L’Equipe, il déclarait alors : « Le chirurgien et moi on a toujours fixé, pas une date précise, mais au moins entre fin mars début avril ». Il semble donc que les prévisions étaient bonnes.
Il faudra peut-être attendre un peu avant que Ntamack ne soit titularisé pour la première fois avec Toulouse, mais il aura probablement son mot à dire sur le reste de la saison, avec la visite du Racing 92 le week-end suivant en huitième de finale de la Champions Cup.
ADVERTISEMENT
Toulouse occupe actuellement la deuxième place du Top 14, à seulement trois points du leader, le Stade français, à sept journées de la fin de la saison régulière.
Top 14
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Stade Francais
19
13
5
1
59
2
Toulouse
19
12
7
0
56
3
Bordeaux
19
11
8
0
49
4
Racing 92
19
10
9
0
48
5
Toulon
19
10
9
0
46
6
La Rochelle
19
9
10
0
46
7
Castres
19
9
10
0
45
8
Pau
19
10
9
0
45
9
Bayonne
19
9
10
0
43
10
Clermont
19
8
9
2
42
11
Perpignan
19
9
10
0
39
12
Lyon
19
8
11
0
38
13
Montpellier
19
8
11
0
37
14
Oyonnax
19
5
13
1
26
Comments on RugbyPass
Starts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
2 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
2 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
87 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
228 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to comments