Rugby-Toulouse. “It’s not because his name is Ntamack that Theo plays with us…”
By Clement Mazella
Published on
The photo is making the rounds on social media. After the match won against Toulon during the 2e day of Top 14, Romain Ntamack posed with his father Emile on one side, and his younger brother on the other Theo, who had just played his first professional match with Stade Toulousain. “1… 2 & 3 Ntamack for Toulouse”, wrote the international opener on his Instagram post.
Little Theo (he still measures 1.91m), international U20, has therefore entered the big leagues. And the 20-year-old boy showed up during the 22 minutes he played, entering in place of an unvarnished François Cros, again injured in his left knee. “We are very satisfied with his entry. We perceive a player who has real franchise abilities. I think he can be an X factor in our team,” commented his forwards coach, Jean Bouilhou.
Bouilhou: “When he has the ball, he knows how to make the difference”
4/4 in defence, 10m gained with the ball in hand, 2 defenders beaten… All this seems promising, and in line with what Theo Ntamack showed with the France U20 team. Above all, he seems to have taken the chance he has of being able to scrounge up professional minutes in order to develop into a position of n°8 which requires maturity. “He is showing up, and as is the case at Stade Toulousain, his integration will be done bit by bit. He understood that each time, it will be an opportunity for him to show his qualities. Of course, he still has work to do, he’s a young player, especially in the phases without the ball. But we also see that when he has it, he knows how to make differences, ”said Bouilhou.
The weight of the Ntamack name
In addition to inviting himself among “the greats”, Théo must manage a major phenomenon: his name. Being called Ntamack in Toulouse is far from trivial. “It’s not because his name is Ntamack that Theo plays with us,” replies Jean Bouilhou smiling. “If he is there, it is thanks to his qualities”. The technician continues:
Its name, is it an advantage or a disadvantage? Ask him the question. I think having such a famous father and older brother must put a little pressure on him. Afterwards, I don’t think he’s having it that badly. We the staff, we don’t give him any sign that he is a son of. We take it as it is. I think that’s also what makes him feel comfortable in our squad, and that he can express himself.
“Reserved” by nature, Théo is quite similar to his older brother, as the center points out. Sofiane Guitoune “He is like Roman. He doesn’t make a sound, enters the group nicely, and shows what he is worth on the pitch. Théo is in the same line as his brother, he arrives, shy, but not too much either…”
Rotation, the new creed of Stade Toulousain
More generally, Théo Ntamack is part of this big spin wanted by Stade Toulousain this season. If there has been a big recruitment, the Rouge et Noir are counting on their young people. Because during the off-season, they analyzed certain things: “We were hesitant about turnover last year. We had our internationals play a lot, and when the duplication periods arrived, we noticed that our little-used players took time to express themselves on the pitch. We thought that these players, or these young people, could better optimize this year so that they are operational very quickly during duplicates. It also helps to restore energy in the team, emulation, so that everyone remains on the alert”.
A turnover appreciated by Dorian Aldegheri “It’s cool to see that. We know what it is, we’ve been there. It’s nice, we coach them, and they push us. And Bouilhou concludes: “I don’t think we’re any less good when we run. Did you see Maxime Duprat come back against Toulon? Theo’s? And Joshua Brennan since the start of the season? I don’t feel like they underperformed. When they are well supervised during the week, and they feel the confidence of the staff, we have seen that they were at the level. That’s what we want”. It is now up to Théo Ntamack to chart his course…
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Rugby in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.