Romain Ntamack Explained

Romain Ntamack
Birth Date:1 May 1999
Birth Place:Toulouse, France
Height:1.860NaN0
Weight:910NaN0
Relatives:Émile Ntamack (father)
Francis Ntamack (uncle)
Théo Ntamack (brother)
Position:Fly-half, Centre
Currentclub:Toulouse
Years1:2017–
Clubs1:Toulouse
Apps1:116
Points1:363
Repyears1:2017–2018
Repteam1:France U20
Repcaps1:15
Reppoints1:125
Repyears2:2017–2018
Repteam2:French Barbarians
Repcaps2:2
Reppoints2:13
Repyears3:2019–
Repteam3:France
Repcaps3:37
Reppoints3:156
Clubupdate:28 June 2024
Repupdate:12 August 2023

Romain Ntamack (born 1 May 1999) is a French professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Top 14 club Toulouse and the France national team.

Playing for Toulouse since his childhood, he won a first Top 14 title in 2018–19 with the French club, before winning the French championship and European Rugby Champions Cup double in 2021. He made his senior debut for France against Wales during the 2019 Six Nations Championship after previously being called up to the France U20 team. In 2019, he was a member of the France squad which reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was then named the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards. Alongside his half-back partner Antoine Dupont, Ntamack won the 2022 Six Nations Championship, the first French Grand Slam since 2010.

He is the son of former French international player Émile Ntamack, the nephew of Francis Ntamack and the older brother of current professional player Théo Ntamack, his Toulouse teammate.

Early life

Romain Ntamack was born on 1 May 1999 in Toulouse, France.[1] His father is former French international player Émile Ntamack, who played for Toulouse his whole career. He is also the nephew of former French international player Francis Ntamack and the older brother of professional player Théo Ntamack, his club teammate.[2] On his father's side, he is of Cameroonian and French Pied-Noir descent,[3] while his mother is of French ancestry with Ariège roots.[4] His paternal grandfather left Cameroon to settle down in Lyon where his father was born.[5]

He started playing rugby union in his hometown and joined his father's club youth system at the age of five.[6]

Club career

On 30 September 2017, Ntamack made his professional debut in the Top 14 in a home win against Agen, coming on as a substitute in the 38th minute.[7] For his second professional season, he won the 2018–19 Top 14, following a 24–18 win over Clermont in the final, in which he came off the bench.[8]

Two years after his first Bouclier de Brennus, he won the 2020-21 Top 14 and 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup double.[9] On 22 May 2021, he helped his team defeating La Rochelle in a 17–22 final win and became with his dad the first father and son combination to win the trophy,[10] before winning his second France championship title one month later.[11]

On 25 May 2022, Toulouse announced that he extended his contract with the club until 2028, alongside his brother Théo who meanwhile reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension.[12]

Ntamack played his hundredth game with Toulouse in a Heineken Champions Cup 20–16 home win against Munster on 22 January 2023.[13]

International career

At the age of 17 years nine months and ten days, Ntamack was double upgraded and played his first game for France's under-20 team against Scotland on 10 February 2017 in the Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[14] He was later named in the France squad for the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.[15] In November, Ntamack was called up to the French Barbarians and played as a starter in a 19–15 victory over Māori All Blacks.[16]

In 2018, he won both the 2018 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and the 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship with France U20.[17] Then, he was once again called up to the French Barbarians in the autumn but lost the game against Tonga on 10 November.[18]

On 1 February 2019, Ntamack made his senior international test debut for France starting as an outside centre against Wales in the Six Nations Championship.[19] He was subsequently named in France's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and became the youngest French player to ever play in a World Cup, starting at the 10 against Argentina.[20] After the tournament, he was named the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year at the 2019 World Rugby Awards.[21]

Being the starting fly-half alongside his Toulouse teammate Antoine Dupont at the scrum-half when France finished in second place in the 2020 and 2021 Six Nations Championships,[22] he then won the 2022 Championship, playing in all five games and winning the first French Grand Slam since 2010.[23]

Career statistics

List of international tries

scope=colscope=col data-sort-type=dateDatescope=colVenuescope=colOpponentscope=colScorescope=colResultscope=colCompetition
scope=row123 February 2019Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France5–027–10
scope=row29 February 2020Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France28–1035–22
scope=row322 February 2020Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales16–2423–27
scope=row431 October 2020Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France22–1335–27
scope=row520 November 2021Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France12–640–25
scope=row626 February 2023Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France5–032–21
scope=row712 August 2023Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne, France11–1030–272023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches

Honours

Toulouse
France
France U20
Individual

Filmography

Television

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: fr . Toulouse. Romain Ntamack : de la tête et des épaules… . Souillès . Gilles . 29 December 2019 . . 30 March 2023.
  2. News: fr . Le rugbyman Romain Ntamack fait de sa vie une oeuvre . Picard . Zoé . 28 February 2023 . ActuaLitté . 30 March 2023.
  3. News: fr . Ntamack, la grande star . 2 February 2008 . . 30 March 2023.
  4. News: fr . « Emile N'Tamack: un type formidable » . Rouquier . Jean-Paul . 30 October 1999 . . 30 March 2023.
  5. News: fr . Romain Ntamack : mère, origine... Qui est le demi d'ouverture du XV de France ? . Le Floc'h . Fabien . 24 June 2022 . . 30 March 2023.
  6. News: fr . Ntamack : Romain, sur les traces du père ? . 17 March 2016 . . subscription . 30 March 2023.
  7. News: fr . Toulouse: grands débuts de Romain Ntamack en Top 14 . 17 March 2016 . . 30 March 2023.
  8. News: fr . Rugby : le Stade toulousain, prometteur champion de France . Pécout . Adrien . 16 June 2019 . . 30 March 2023.
  9. News: Toulouse complete the double as La Rochelle’s wait for glory goes on . Thornley . Gerry . 25 June 2021 . . 30 March 2023.
  10. News: Ntamack adds to family legacy with winners medal . 24 May 2021 . . 30 March 2023.
  11. StadeToulousain . 1408526137748303878 . 25 June 2021 . Champions de France ️.
  12. StadeToulousain . 1529492507079450624 . 25 May 2022 . Romain and Théo Ntamack prolongent au Stade.
  13. Web site: Romain NTAMACK: profile and stats . All.Rugby . 30 March 2023.
  14. News: fr . La fulgurante ascension de Romain Ntamack, numéro 10 des U20 à seulement 17 ans . Genin . Laurent . 22 February 2017 . . 30 March 2023.
  15. News: fr . CM 2017 (U20) : Les 28 joueurs retenus . Canot . Aurélien . 22 May 2017 . Rugby 365 . 30 March 2023.
  16. News: New Zealand Māori suffer surprise loss to French Barbarians . Knowler . Richard . 11 November 2017 . . 30 March 2023.
  17. News: fr . Ça s'est passé un 17 juin 2018 : l'équipe de France U20 remporte son 1er titre mondial à domicile . Boscherini . Jules . 17 June 2020 . . 30 March 2023.
  18. News: Tonga beats French Barbarians 49-38 in 13-try thriller . 10 November 2018 . . 30 March 2023.
  19. News: fr . 6 Nations : Romain Ntamack, une première comme travailleur de l'ombre face aux Gallois . Tazé-Bernard . Thierry . 1 February 2019 . . 30 March 2023.
  20. News: fr . France-Argentine : Romain Ntamack, itinéraire d'un jeune Bleu pressé . Roblin . Yohan . 21 September 2019 . . 30 March 2023.
  21. WorldRugby . 1190960048295555072 . 3 November 2019 . Congratulations to @FranceRugby star Romain Ntamack who has won the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award.
  22. News: End of Year Review: France . Eddison . Paul . 30 November 2021 . . 30 March 2023.
  23. News: France’s Grand Slam in numbers . Bray . Jonny . 24 March 2022 . . 30 March 2023.
  24. News: fr . Débuts prometteurs pour "Le Stade", le film du Stade Toulousain qui sort en salle ce mercredi . Vau . Alexandre . 13 April 2022 . . 31 March 2023.
  25. News: fr . Paramount+ : c’est quoi cette nouvelle plate-forme qui débarque en France le 1er décembre ? . Guerrin . Stéphanie . 18 October 2022 . . 31 March 2023.