Ntamack back for heavyweight clash

By PAUL REES

PREVIEW…

Toulouse vRacing 92

Today. Kick-off 3pm, Stade Ernest Wallon

ROMAIN Ntamack starts his first match since suffering knee ligament damage in a World Cup warm-up match last August and Siya Kolisi is back after a month out with a hand problem, but there will be no match-up between Antoine Dupont and Nolann le Garrec.

The clash between Toulouse and Racing 92, two French heavyweights, is a sell-out and both sides are laced with international players, making it the pick of today’s fixtures. Ntamack’s return is timely for the home side with Thomas Ramos injured.

Dupont, who missed the Six Nations as he was acquainting himself with the Sevens format ahead of the summer Olympics in Paris, had been filling in at 10 but returns to scrum-half.

France missed Dupont as they failed to seize the Six Nations title from Ireland, but by the end of the tournament had found in Le Garrec his likely successor. The 21-year old stood out against Wales and England having been named as a replacement initially, but he misses out this afternoon having suffered a concussion during last weekend’s Top 14 victory over Clermont Auvergne.

Toulouse are second in the Top 14 with Racing immediately behind them, but the World Cup and then the Six Nations tested the strength of squads and neither club has been in dominant form. Toulouse, though, were the top seeds at the end of the Champions Cup group stage having encountered little resistance from Cardiff, Harlequins and Ulster before Bath pushed them hard in France.

It is the former England head coach Stuart Lancaster‘s first campaign in charge of Racing and they crept into the last 16 by defeating Cardiff having lost their first three matches. Their league form has picked up with three consecutive victories and Kolisi’s return will pitch him against a number of players who were in the France team that lost to South Africa in last October’s World Cup quarter-final in Paris.

“It is good to be back,” said Kolisi, below. “I saw a specialist who said he was happy with the way it had healed and I just want to get back on to the field. I tried to play last week, but the coaches, management and doctors said it was too soon.”

Kolisi has led South Africa to two World Cup triumphs, but the 32-yearold back rower accepts that he may have to hand over the armband having based himself in France.

“That is normal and I knew it before making the decision to join Racing,” said Kolisi. “The coach (Rassie Erasmus) speaks and he says what the situation is. There is nothing I can do about that.”

Racing lost at home to Toulouse in the Top 14 at the end of January and despite their resources are regarded as underdogs, something that does not concern their captain, Gael Fickou.

“A season does not run in a straight line,” he said. “We are not playing perfectly, but we come into the game on the back of three wins, which is encouraging. We are not going to Toulouse with our heads down. We are going to put up a great fight.”

Henry Arundell starts on the wing for Racing with Christian Wade on the bench. Wales lock Will Rowlands is part of a back five that includes Kolisi and Cameron Woki.

Jack Willis is in the Toulouse back row along with Francois Cros. Blair Kinghorn is at full-back with Dupont leading the side in his first start alongside Ntamack since the game against Scotland eight months ago.