France have suffered a setback in their preparations for the Rugby World Cup, with Romain Ntamack ruled out of the tournament.
While he is only 24 years old, Ntamack is an experienced head in the French backline, having cemented his starting role back in 2019.
With the World Cup on the horizon, we take a look at who could fill the void the 38 Test cap pivot leaves in the starting XV.
Front-runner
Head coach Fabien Galthie has not been shy to hand young players opportunities through the World Cup cycle, and that may well be paying dividends this World Cup.
While he has given several players a chance to prove themselves, Galthie has stuck largely to one back-up to Ntamack in Matthieu Jalibert.
The talented Bordeaux-Begles fly-half has often added a point of difference to Ntamack off the bench for France, adding pace and a fair bit of flair.
While Jalibert is certainly cable of filling the role, he does come with a few downsides. Firstly, he has not played nearly as much rugby as Ntamack has alongside scrum-half and captain Antoine Dupont.
He is also a risk-taker; while it often pays off, it can be costly when it doesn’t. He enjoys a chip and chase, something the likes of New Zealand will keep a close eye on.
His game management isn’t quite to the level of Ntamack’s, but he will be able to lean on Dupont to assist him in that regard.
Jalibert is a phenomenal player who can undoubtedly thrive if given the jersey.
He is a confidence player, and without the responsibility of place-kicking on his shoulders, he could spark the backline into life, adding even more threat to an already potent attack.
1 – Matthieu Jalibert is the top ranking Tier 1 fly half for line breaks (0.9) and defenders beaten (3.8) per 80 minutes in Test rugby since the last RWC (min. 640 mins played), while he averages a try or assist every 85 minutes, also the best rate for a #10 in that time. Cover. pic.twitter.com/EGjTSjBR9e
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) August 14, 2023
Next best
Behind Jalibert in the pecking order and someone who will fancy their chances of claiming the vacant role is La Rochelle fly-half Antoine Hastoy.
The 26-year-old has been a consistent performer in the Top 14 in recent seasons and earned the admiration of Ronan O’Gara, who lured him to La Rochelle ahead of last season.
Hastoy is a less flashy option than that of Jalibert, but he is in no way less capable.
He has an excellent kicking game, something that will work in his favour, and is also accurate off the tee.
In his debut season with La Rochelle, he took control of the starting jumper and helped the side reach the Champions Cup and Top 14 finals, winning the former.
He held his nerve against Leinster, slotting all his shots at goal to seal the victory but missed two early penalties in the Top 14 final loss to Toulouse.
While his place-kicking is unlikely to be too much of a factor as Thomas Ramos will do most of the kicking for Les Bleus, his accuracy of over 80 per cent of last season is a bonus.
Hastoy is arguably a better defensive player than Jalibert, adding further intrigue to what will be an exciting tussle for the role.
Très belle première partie de match pour le Stade Rochelais avec un deuxième essai marqué par Antoine Hastoy! #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/T5HNxZgzi7
— Champions Cup France (@ChampionsCup_FR) December 17, 2022
Wild cards
When confirming the news of Ntamack’s injury, Galthie did not call up a replacement for his star number 10.
If he changes his mind, someone like Montpellier fly-half Louis Carbonel could be one of the first players he drops a call to.
Carbonel was tipped for a bright future in the international team based on his U20s form and his rapid rise in the Top 14, but things haven’t quite panned out as expected. He has had a few opportunities under Galthie but hasn’t made the most of them to convince the head coach.
Meanwhile, there is a more unlikely call-up of veteran number 10 Camille Lopez, who last played for France at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Lopez made the switch to Bayonne last season and was instrumental in their season as they finished just outside a play-off spot.
Galthie has moved on to the next generation of talents, with the likes of Lopez deemed surplus to requirements, but he could still do a job for Les Bleus in an emergency, ala Stephen Donald for the All Blacks in 2011.
If Galthie backs the current squad members to fill the roles, we will likely see Ramos in the number 10 jumper at some stage. The full-back slotted into the role when Ntamack was forced off the pitch and has started multiple Toulouse games in the position.
While crazy things have happened, it is unlikely that Ramos will fill the vacancy in the crunch clashes, but crazier things have happened.
2011 throwback? During the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Morgan Parra slotted into the number 10 jersey during the tournament, with Dimitri Yachvili at number nine.
Galthie has the capable candidates to replicate that combination that reached the final.
Both Dupont and Baptiste Serin have slipped into the fly-half role for club and country in the past and could do so again.
France have some great out-and-out options at fly-half, so moving one of his number nines to 10 wouldn’t really make sense, but it is not out of the question.
We will likely see who Galthie favours in the final two warm-up matches, against Fiji and Australia, before they kick off their home Rugby World Cup campaign against New Zealand.
READ MORE: France lead the way in our Rugby World Cup warm-ups Team of the Week
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