Wales could not cope with half-back partnership as Romain Ntamack made good on injury comeback before seeing red. With Les Bleus , Antoine Dupont had last played alongside Romain Ntamack in the ill-fated World Cup warm-up game against Scotland when Ntamack 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 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. The first red card of his professional career, though, brought an early end to his return to the national team setup. While he struggled a couple of times in the air, the Toulouse man set the tone for another display of technical ease with a within the first two minutes of the match.
The La Rochelle No 8 proved the main driving force with the ball in hand, on top of a ubiquitous defensive display. The celebratory mood in the second half would be interrupted, though, by two brief moments of protest from the French crowd. The plaintiff has appealed the decision. Their call-ups have nevertheless proved divisive among France fans. 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.
Antoine Dupont rides a tackle as Romain Ntamack watches on. Photograph: Xavier Laine. France revel in fleeting return of near-telepathic Dupont-Ntamack pairing. Read more. View image in fullscreen. Reuse this content. Most viewed.
