France delivered an impressive performance to defeat Fiji 54-17 in their Nations Championship encounter on Saturday night, but their convincing victory was overshadowed by a serious injury to fly-half Romain Ntamack ahead of their highly anticipated showdown against the Springboks.

The French national team produced an attacking display at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, scoring eight tries to secure a comfortable victory and return to the top of the Northern Hemisphere section of the Nations Championship standings.

However, the result came at a significant cost for head coach Fabien Galthié, who lost one of his most important attacking players during the first half.

Ntamack, who was partnering captain Antoine Dupont in the half-back combination for the first time since March 2025, suffered a shoulder injury while stretching towards the try line during the build-up to France’s third try.

The Toulouse playmaker was visibly in pain and was forced to leave the field after approximately 33 minutes of action.

His injury has created another selection headache for Galthié, particularly with France already missing several experienced players capable of operating at fly-half.

Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos are also unavailable because of injuries, leaving the French coaching staff with limited specialist options ahead of their meeting with South Africa.

France subsequently called up Louis Carbonel to replace Ntamack in their squad for the upcoming encounter.

Meanwhile, France had plenty of positives to celebrate from their performance against Fiji. Jean-Baptiste Gros, Sipili Falatea, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Kalvin Gourgues, Théo Attissogbé, Charles Ollivon and Antoine Dupont all crossed the try line, while the hosts also benefited from a penalty try.

Fiji struggled to contain the French attacking pressure but managed to score twice through Vinaya Habosi and Selestino Ravutaumada.

France had established a commanding 26-3 advantage at half-time before adding further tries in the second period to complete their 54-17 victory.

The result marked France’s third win in four Nations Championship matches, taking their points tally to 17 and placing them two points ahead of Ireland in the Northern Hemisphere standings.

Despite the convincing victory, Galthié will now have to find an effective solution to his fly-half problem before facing the reigning world champions.

The Springboks are scheduled to meet France on Friday, November 13, in Paris, in what promises to be one of the biggest fixtures of the international rugby calendar.

For South Africa, Ntamack’s absence could represent an important development ahead of the encounter, although France still possess considerable quality throughout their squad.

With several first-choice playmakers unavailable, Galthié faces a difficult challenge in preparing his team for the physical and tactical demands expected against the Springboks.

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