No number 10 in the team: France beat Fiji 54-17 but lose Ntamack

A big win but a sour night for France: Fabien Galthié fears his fly-half has dislocated his shoulder.

Bonus point by the break

Jean-Baptiste Gros opened the scoring after several carries from Yoram Moefana, then the French maul earned a penalty try in the 21st minute, with a yellow card for Fiji’s Vocevoce. Sipili Falatea (32nd) and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (35th), pouncing on a Vilimoni Botitu error, completed the set: 26-3 at half-time with the bonus point secured.

Grandidier-Nkanang now has three tries in three Tests. After a scrappier start to the second half, Kalvin Gourgues scored his first France try on the hour, in his first start and fifth cap. Théo Attissogbe, sent away by Louis Bielle-Biarrey, followed (62nd) and has 13 tries in 18 Tests. Charles Ollivon (72nd) and Antoine Dupont (78th), on his 65th cap, took the tally to eight, while Fiji scored through Vinaya Habosi (65th) and Selestino Ravutaumada (75th). Maxime Lucu, moved to fly-half, kicked five conversions. Esteban Capilla, called up after Hugo Jegou’s withdrawal, won his first cap off the bench in the 57th minute.

Ntamack, “a dislocation” says Galthié

Romain Ntamack went off just after the half-hour, clutching his shoulder, and was replaced by Lucu. “I feel very sorry for Romain. I think it is a dislocation,” Fabien Galthié said after the break, according to La Dépêche. “He told me: ‘I felt the shoulder come out’,” the head coach said, confirming overnight that the Toulouse fly-half (46 caps, 162 points) will miss the rest of the Nations Championship.

He becomes the eighteenth injured Toulouse player, the fifth of the day after Matias Remue, Simon Daroque, Théo Ntamack and Nathan Llaveria against Clermont. Gourgues, a former fly-half, took over the kicking before Lucu did. After South Africa, France host Argentina on 21 November ahead of finals weekend in London on the 28th.

Carbonel recalled, Penaud left out

Shortly before 1am, the staff named the 42 players preparing for South Africa’s visit to the Stade de France on Friday. Louis Carbonel returns: the Stade Français fly-half, who has started all eight of his Top 14 games this season (65 points), has five caps and had not been called up since July 2021. Julien Marchand, back from injury with Toulouse against Clermont, is recalled, as are Gaël Fickou, Gaël Dréan, back in action after several months out with a heart problem, and Teddy Thomas (28 caps, 15 tries), who has scored six Top 14 tries this season at 33. Pau’s Loïc Credoz and Grégoire Arfeuil are also called up.

Ntamack and Oscar Jegou, who has a hamstring injury, leave the squad, along with Nicolas Depoortere, Damian Penaud, Charles Kante Samba, Théo Forner and Léon Darricarrère.

Fly-halves in the treatment room

Ntamack joins Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Hugo Reus on the injury list: four French fly-halves who wear the number 10 in the Top 14, not counting Thomas Ramos, the full-back who can cover at 10. Fabien Galthié has until Friday to find his number 10.