Latest news with #Ntamack
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
The ‘accidental' Irish coach behind Bordeaux's freewheeling backline
An aptitude for working with youngsters has helped. Bielle-Biarrey, he of 31 tries in 27 appearances this season, is just 21. Marko Gazzotti, an all-action back-rower, is a year younger. Yoram Moefana, 24, has become an 'undisputed starter' at centre for France after finding a new level of late. Alongside him for Bordeaux has been Nicolas Depoortère, 22. Watch out for teenager Jon Echegaray, who has four tries in five senior outings, too. McNamara remembers feeling relieved in 2019 when he was head coach of Ireland U20 because Jalibert had been whisked out of age-group action to represent France seniors. His replacement was Romain Ntamack. The point of the story is not just to underline the extraordinary depth in France, but to reinforce how Jalibert is still 26. Romain Buros, 'imperious' at full-back on Test debut against the All Blacks in November, has scope to progress at 27. 'Bordeaux and Northampton are open environments' Enjoyment is 'critical' to McNamara, with 'fun but never funny' one of his mantras. Yet the pain of last season, in the form of a horrible 59-3 loss to Toulouse in the Top 14 final and a surprise defeat by Harlequins in the Champions Cup, can be a stepping stone for Bordeaux. Ousting Saints, they know, will take another excellent performance. Game recognises game, and McNamara has developed a long-distance friendship with Sam Vesty. Both speak about using structured patterns to free runners into unstructured scenarios and McNamara sees similarities in the approaches of the Champions Cup finalists. 'I was in Durban watching Northampton in the Premiership and I liked how they adapted to different things,' he recalls. 'I believe that the attack should adapt to the defence; the defence gives you your attack. And Northampton are a team that do that really, really well. At the time, they were adapting really well to Saracens, who were among the best defensive teams in the world at the time, and I was intrigued. 'I knew Maurice Hartery, who'd been a teacher in Limerick and was working as Northampton's manager. I was keen to have a chat with Sam and Maurice put me in contact. We had a few video calls and had been talking about visiting one another over the course of this season. Bordeaux and Northampton are open environments. 'It's not that there are any secrets or that we're trying to protect things; everyone is incredibly open and happy to share ideas and concepts. Whatever happens this weekend, that will continue.' 'I get back to the farm as often as I can' While McNamara is 'very much connected' to Bordeaux, his own prospects are undeniably exciting. And whichever way his path turns, the family farm will remain an inspiration. His 81-year-old father, Denis, still works full days as a reminder of how 'you look after something that will look after you in future.' 'I love that idea about farming,' McNamara says. 'It's similar in rugby. I'd love to think that someday we'd go back. 'We have a little fruit garden in Gradignan and I love the concept for the kids. We still have cows at home on the farm and I try to get back there as often as I can. I find it very grounding. 'It was ingrained from a very young age; to have that work ethic and that passion in what you do. That's everything, you know?' Listening to McNamara leaves you in no doubt that enthusiasm and dedication are indeed everything. He has described himself as an 'accidental' coach, which may well have helped him become a highly accomplished and intuitive one.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Maestro' Jalibert holds keys to Bordeaux-Begles' Champions Cup hopes
Bordeaux-Begles' Matthieu Jalibert made his France debut as a teenager in 2018 with expectations of a big future for the fly-half, for club and country. Since then, he has been restricted to 22 Test starts due to a serious knee injury suffered on his Les Bleus bow and falling behind Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos in Fabien Galthie's pecking order. For Bordeaux-Begles however, he has played a crucial role in taking them to the top table of club rugby, with the culmination being this Saturday's Champions Cup final against Northampton. Their run to the decider in Cardiff included a superb semi-final performance from Jalibert as the club founded in 2006 put six-time champions Toulouse, and Ntamack, to the sword. "He was decisive against Toulouse," Castres head coach Xavier Sadourny told reporters after their loss to Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday. "It's nothing new but you get the impression since the semi-final against Toulouse he's full of confidence. "He also gives off that confidence to his team-mates. "He's a great player, who's there at the important moments, it's priceless." - 'No easy ride' - Despite Jalibert's impressive club form, his relationship with the national team has been fraught since his debut seven years ago. The 26-year-old was the first-choice fly-half during the 2023 Rugby World Cup with Ntamack injured but he has often been overlooked for the No 10 jersey by Galthie since then. Jalibert has come under criticism from supporters for his perceived weak defensive efforts and lack of leadership. He even left the French camp in November, citing mental health issues. "No one gives him an easy ride," Sadourny said. "People are hard on him but he's still here." His only France appearance in this year's Six Nations was a lacklustre performance during the defeat to England. He has been in red-hot form since that loss, scoring 74 points in nine club games. As well as the Toulouse win, the highlight was setting up half-back partner Maxime Lucu for a try and crossing for a sublime solo effort from 40m out against Castres last weekend. His performance led to him being on Monday's cover of specialist rugby newspaper Midi Olympique, who described him as a "maestro". "It's true that he's worked a lot on the aspects of his game that have been criticised," Bordeaux-Begles full-back Romain Buros said on Tuesday. "I don't have the statistics in my head but I don't think he's missed many tackles in recent weeks. "It's good for him and the squad. The fact that he works on things make him confident." Jalibert's ability to orchestrate Bordeaux-Begles' star-studded backline will have a big impact on the final outcome of this weekend's match. He is tasked with getting the best out of speedster wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud as well as Buros, who have contributed a huge 45 tries for Bordeaux-Begles this season. "His performances speak for themselves, seeing he's in a good place mentally and on form," Buros said. "I hope he'll keep showing the standards he's been hitting this weekend." iwd/mw
France 24
21-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
'Maestro' Jalibert holds keys to Bordeaux-Begles' Champions Cup hopes
Since then, he has been restricted to 22 Test starts due to a serious knee injury suffered on his Les Bleus bow and falling behind Romain Ntamack and Thomas Ramos in Fabien Galthie's pecking order. For Bordeaux-Begles however, he has played a crucial role in taking them to the top table of club rugby, with the culmination being this Saturday's Champions Cup final against Northampton. Their run to the decider in Cardiff included a superb semi-final performance from Jalibert as the club founded in 2006 put six-time champions Toulouse, and Ntamack, to the sword. "He was decisive against Toulouse," Castres head coach Xavier Sadourny told reporters after their loss to Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday. "It's nothing new but you get the impression since the semi-final against Toulouse he's full of confidence. "He also gives off that confidence to his team-mates. "He's a great player, who's there at the important moments, it's priceless." 'No easy ride' Despite Jalibert's impressive club form, his relationship with the national team has been fraught since his debut seven years ago. The 26-year-old was the first-choice fly-half during the 2023 Rugby World Cup with Ntamack injured but he has often been overlooked for the No 10 jersey by Galthie since then. Jalibert has come under criticism from supporters for his perceived weak defensive efforts and lack of leadership. He even left the French camp in November, citing mental health issues. "No one gives him an easy ride," Sadourny said. "People are hard on him but he's still here." His only France appearance in this year's Six Nations was a lacklustre performance during the defeat to England. He has been in red-hot form since that loss, scoring 74 points in nine club games. As well as the Toulouse win, the highlight was setting up half-back partner Maxime Lucu for a try and crossing for a sublime solo effort from 40m out against Castres last weekend. His performance led to him being on Monday's cover of specialist rugby newspaper Midi Olympique, who described him as a "maestro". "It's true that he's worked a lot on the aspects of his game that have been criticised," Bordeaux-Begles full-back Romain Buros said on Tuesday. "I don't have the statistics in my head but I don't think he's missed many tackles in recent weeks. "It's good for him and the squad. The fact that he works on things make him confident." Jalibert's ability to orchestrate Bordeaux-Begles' star-studded backline will have a big impact on the final outcome of this weekend's match. He is tasked with getting the best out of speedster wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud as well as Buros, who have contributed a huge 45 tries for Bordeaux-Begles this season. "His performances speak for themselves, seeing he's in a good place mentally and on form," Buros said.
France 24
10-05-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Toulouse's Ntamack suffers concussion in Top 14, Willemse nears exit
Ntamack went off after 19 minutes in reigning French and European champions Toulouse's match against Toulon, and was replaced by Paul Graou following an alert from his connected mouthguard. Ntamack did not return to the pitch, the 26-year-old having failed the concussion protocol procedure. Television footage showed the France international returning directly to the locker room at Marseille's Velodrome stadium. Since November, mouthguards have been worn by all players in the Top 14. In the event of a violent impact, the mouthguard sends an alert signal. The affected player then goes off to undergo a protocol to determine if he has indeed suffered a concussion. Meanwhile, Montpellier's France lock Willemse, who has suffered repeated concussions, is unlikely to play again with the club and is heading towards the end of his career, club president Mohed Altrad told French radio on Saturday. "He's giving signs that he's going to retire," Altrad said when asked about the player's future. "Wisely, his contract is up anyway." Willemse, 32, suffered a concussion against Stade Francais last October, his sixth in the space of a year, just as he was returning after several months out following another head injury. Since October, the South Africa-born player, who has 32 caps for France, has not even returned to training, his lay-off being regularly extended by specialised doctors who are treating him.
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
France and Ireland in war of words before Six Nations finale
A war of words has erupted between France and Ireland ahead of the title-deciding weekend of the Six Nations, with French fly-half Romain Ntamack hitting out at the 'injustice' of Garry Ringrose's suspension while Irish prop Andrew Porter criticised Fabien Galthié for comments surrounding Antoine Dupont's injury. Ntamack returned from a two-match suspension to lead France to a famous 42-27 victory in Dublin last weekend, having sat out the defeat against England and the victory over Italy following a red card in the win against Wales. On the other hand, Ireland's Ringrose only missed the France defeat last weekend, as the ruling around his suspension for a similar offence against Wales took into account a Leinster match during the second fallow week – something that was not afforded to Ntamack. With neither player realistically expected to play for their club during the Six Nations, Ntamack has hit out a the 'totally incomprehensible' decision. 'There is an injustice here, because I believe our case was also based around how one of the matches in my suspension I would play for Toulouse,' Ntamack said. 'And when 10 days later the complete opposite [for Ringrose] is decided in contrast to what the commission told me, that is in every shape and form totally incomprehensible. 'I think we must start pounding our fist on the table because it is time these decisions going against us and costing us dearly stop.' Ntamack was speaking before Saturday's finale against Scotland in Paris. France know a bonus-point victory will guarantee them this year's championship. However, Les Bleus will need to do so without captain Dupont, who suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament after being cleared out of a ruck by Irish forwards Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter. 'I have my opinion on that and I will keep it to myself,' Ntamack said of Dupont's injury. 'It is always upsetting when a player is injured in such an incident. It is never very clear in this type of situation. 'There will be a debate around rucks forever. I think, though, it is imperative that we all sit around a table and clarify it a little.' While Ntamack refused to criticise the Irish forwards for their part in the clear-out that injured Dupont, French head coach Galthié let rip on Beirne and Porter, labelling the incident 'reprehensible' and referring both to the citing commissioned – with both subsequently cleared. Porter has now hit back at Galthié, insisting there was 'no malicious intent'. 'He can say what he wants, see how far it gets him,' Porter said of Galthié. 'No, I wasn't disappointed. I knew what I did; I didn't go out to try and injure anyone. That's not the type of player I am. If he [Galthié] wants to think that, that is up to him. 'I even sent Antoine a message on Instagram just to see how he was and obviously you never want to see anyone going off the pitch like that. If you have the head coach calling for your head, it's a bit much to be fair. 'But he is such a pivotal player for them that they nearly don't want him to be touched at all. Look, he is entitled to his opinion, but I know I haven't done anything wrong there. I sleep well at night. 'His [Dupont's] leg got trapped in between a ruck when he was trying to counter it and he obviously just got trapped and went over,' Porter added. 'It happens so much in this sport. There was no malicious intent surrounding it at all. It's obviously unfortunate and unlucky.'
