'Waste of talent' – Andrew Mehrtens weighs in on fly-half debate

As a French resident and part-owner of Pro D2 club Beziers, former All Black fly-half Andrew Mehrtens has been keeping a keen eye on this year’s Six Nations and the performance of France in particular.

Before the opening match against Wales, the 70-cap international had called on Romain Ntamack to step up and show more authority on the pitch – but not in the way that he did.

Ntamack’s shoulder charge to the head of Ben Thomas earned him a 20-minute red card, which was upheld on review, and the Toulouse player faces a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday morning.

Ntamack, who had only just returned from a long-term injury, will almost certainly be banned which leaves France looking at their options at 10.

The French media have reported that Mathieu Jalibert will be given the playmaker role for Saturday’s ‘Le Crunch’ meeting with England at Allianz Stadium.

But the form of Thomas Ramos as a makeshift fly-half for club and country last season could persuade the selectors to go with him, or even switch Antoine Dupont to 10 and select either Racing 92’s Nolann Le Garrec or Toulon’s Baptiste Serin at scrum-half.

Mehrtens has no reason to doubt that Dupont would excel one position further out but believes he would possibly be better served staying where he is, as the first link between forwards and backs, as demonstrated by his stunning 50-minute display in the 43-0 destruction of Wales.

“For me, the next two 10s off the rank, neither of them would be 10s – Thomas Ramos and probably Antoine Dupont himself playing at 10 because he already pulls the strings at nine and you already have got other talented nines, Le Garrec and Baptiste Serin. They could probably quite easily slot in at nine, maybe not bring what Dupont brings, but at least you’ve still got him on the field.

“There is a case that says Dupont’s talent, his particular talent – his speed off the base of the ruck and that sort of thing – would be wasted if he was one (position) further out at 10 but I think organisationally, authority-wise, I think you could quite easily get away with having him at 10, too.

“The more I see of Thomas Ramos, the more I think, ‘Far out, he is fantastic,’” insists Mehrtens.

“I know he has a good side around him at Toulouse but he has played a few games recently at 10, when Ntamack wasn’t playing, and he was the difference really between the two sides even with all the talent they have got at Toulouse. The way he reads the game is absolutely fantastic.”

Mehrtens added: “France is the one nation where the nine is the boss. That dates back to Jacques Fouroux, Pierre Berbizier, Fabien Galthié and those sort of guys. It probably dates back to Napoleon! The number ten in France is much more of an accessory.”