Romain Ntamack

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 in Toulouse, France. 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. On his father's side, he is of Cameroonian and French Pied-Noir descent, while his mother is of French ancestry with Ariège roots. His paternal grandfather left Africa to settle down in Lyon where his father was born.
He started playing rugby union in his hometown and joined his father's club youth system at the age of five.
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. 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.
Two years after his first Bouclier de Brennus, he won the 2020-21 Top 14 and 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup double. 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, before winning his second France championship title one month later.
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.
Ntamack played his hundredth game with Toulouse in a Heineken Champions Cup 20–16 home win against Munster on 22 January 2023.
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. He was later named in the France squad for the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. In November, Ntamack was called up to the French Barbarians and played as a starter in a 19–15 victory over Māori All Blacks.
In 2018, he won both the 2018 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and the 2018 World Rugby Under 20 Championship with France U20. Then, he was once again called up to the French Barbarians in the autumn but lost the game against Tonga on 10 November.
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. 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. After the tournament, he was named the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year at the 2019 World Rugby Awards.
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, he then won the 2022 Championship, playing in all five games and winning the first French Grand Slam since 2010.
Career statistics
List of international tries
Honours
Toulouse
1× European Rugby Champions Cup: 2021
3× Top 14: 2019, 2021, 2023
France
1× Six Nations Championship: 2022 (Grand Slam)
3× Six Nations Championship runner-up: 2020, 2021, 2023
France U20
1× World Rugby Under 20 Championship: 2018
1× Six Nations Under 20s Championship: 2018
Individual
1× World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2019
Filmography
Film
Television
See also
List of France national rugby union players
List of international rugby union families
References
External links
France Rugby
EPCR
All.Rugby
1999 births
Living people
Rugby union players from Toulouse
French rugby union players
Stade Toulousain players
Rugby union fly-halves
Rugby union centres
French sportspeople of Cameroonian descent
France international rugby union players
2019 Rugby World Cup players