The heavy criticism that Romain Ntamack was the target of after his poor performance against Fiji will not have surprised the Toulouse opener.
The Blues will be thirsty for revenge on Saturday against Australia. Consequence of their heavy defeat against South Africa and their minimalist victory against Fiji last weekend. Several French players will be keen to make up for it after two disappointing performances.
This is particularly the case of Romain Ntamack, targeted by criticism since the match against Fiji. Richard Dourte, Yann Delaigue and Guy Accoberry have thus pointed out his responsibility in the poor performance of the XV of France on the pitch of the Stade Atlantique, some not hesitating to campaign for Thomas Ramos to start at the opening.
These attacks probably did not surprise the person concerned.
“I know very well that my performances, whether good or bad, are scrutinized and commented on. Especially when they are average or bad, for that matter. I am aware that I will always be criticized more, compared to others,
he recently confided in the columns of Olympic noon. This has been true for years and it’s not going to change. I have no room for error, I must not miss anything, I know that. It will follow me throughout my career, so I had to get used to it. »
Romain Ntamack does not pay attention to criticism
“Today, frankly, it goes in one ear and comes out the other, he assured. I still have better things to do than look at the reviews. Again, whether they are good or bad. I don’t look and I don’t listen. Even if I hear. But it is forgotten in the second. It’s part of the game. And the only opinions that count are those of the Toulouse staff or the French XV. »
And for once, the players and staff of the Blues are united behind their number 10. “We hear the criticism, but we don’t necessarily understand it. There’s no one on the team who thinks they’re not up to par or that things aren’t going well. For us, it’s not even a subject,” said Thibaud Flament on this subject on Wednesday at a press conference.
“Romain occupies an important place in the group. He is the number 1 opener. On the field, he takes a lot of initiatives, added Maxime Lucu to The Team. Afterwards, it’s not easy because he’s used to playing with Antoine (Dupont). But since Antoine was injured, he alternated playing with Nolann (Le Garrec) or me in the selection. It’s not necessarily simple. »
And on Thursday, on the occasion of the announcement of the team lined up against Australia, Fabien Galthié gave it another once-over. “For us, there is no subject on Romain’s performance,
he asserted. If you look in detail, you will see his defensive performance or on aerial balls, on the quality of his kicking game. The problem for a player who is in the middle of the game is that when the balls do not return to the central part, it is difficult for him to lead the game. For us, we field the best team of the moment. We hear the criticism, we accept it, it’s normal. »
