So close but yet so far, France may have narrowly missed out on a first Six Nations title in a decade but the future certainly looks bright for their talented young side.
Bustling with creativity and energy, Fabien Galthié’s team electrified the 2020 Guinness Six Nations – beating England, Italy, Wales and finally Ireland.
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However, a Round 4 defeat to an emboldened Scotland proved costly as they missed out on the title on points difference to Eddie Jones’ men.
French optimism for the future though is typified by their promising young half-backs, Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, who both shone during this year’s Championship.
23-year-old scrum-half Dupont orchestrated all that was good about Les Bleus with his incisive passing, while Ntamack also stood out to earn himself a nomination for Player of the Championship.
The 21-year-old Toulouse fly-half enjoyed a thoroughly impressive campaign, finishing as the Championship’s top points scorer with 57 while also running in three tries and a joint-high four try assists.
Whether it was from the tee, and the nine conversions and eight penalties he notched up during five matches, or in the loose, where he scored three tries and set up four more, Ntamack was always involved.
His influence began in France’s statement win in Round 1 over England where the young star orchestrated his side’s attack, scored nine points and vitally held up George Kruis when an English try had seemed certain.
In Round 2 Ntamack went up another gear against Italy, scoring the bonus-point try and assisting two others including a perfectly measured grubber to set up Teddy Thomas.
The following round saw France locked in a battle with Wales and the visitors had to scrap out a hard-fought victory.
Ntamack again dotted down in a Player of the Match performance, his second-half intercept try proving the difference for Les Bleus.
He also registered another try assist, made 72 metres and seven carries as well as 14 passes in a virtuoso display.
Round 4 brought France’s one and only defeat, at BT Murrayfield, and Ntamack’s exit after 12 minutes proved how influential he is to his country, with their swagger and drive seemingly lost as they had no answer to Scotland’s intensity.
But, back after the Guinness Six Nations’ long wait to round off the 2020 Championship, Ntamack was once again at the races in Round 5 against Ireland.
Not only was he again involved in two tries, scoring one and assisting the other, but his passing and interplay with his teammates was also spot on as he demonstrated just how varied his threat is to opposition teams.
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