Ntamack shoulder scare clouds France's 54-17 demolition of Fiji in Lyon

France dismantled Fiji 54-17 in Lyon on Saturday to open their Nations Championship campaign, but the evening turned anxious when fly-half Romain Ntamack was helped off the field in the 32nd minute with what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury.

Ntamack landed heavily on his shoulder during a collision and left the pitch with his arm supported. Medical staff fear a shoulder dislocation, which could sideline the 27-year-old for four to six months — a potentially devastating timeline that may rule him out of the Six Nations. Captain Antoine Dupont, speaking after the match, offered little reassurance. “We don’t have any news at the moment,” he said. “But I think it’s pretty bad.”

The injury arrived at a particularly painful moment. Saturday marked the first time Dupont and his Toulouse club-mate had started together for Les Bleus in 20 months, a reunion that lasted barely half an hour before it was cut short.

On the pitch, Fabien Galthié’s side were in control long before Ntamack’s exit. Jean-Baptiste Gros crashed over after 14 minutes, a penalty try extended the lead, and despite a Simione Kuruvoli penalty pulling Fiji to 7-3, further tries from Sipili Falatea and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang sent France into the break with a commanding 26-3 advantage.

Any hopes Jake White harboured of a second-half revival in his first match as Fiji head coach were quickly extinguished. Kalvin Gourgues crossed on the hour, then Théo Attissogbe added another three minutes later after a sweeping attacking move initiated by Dupont.

Fiji did find moments of pride. Vinaya Habosi touched down in the 66th minute and Selestino Ravutaumada crossed with five minutes remaining to give the scoreline a degree of respectability. But France responded emphatically. Veteran back-row Charles Ollivon scored from a lineout move in the 72nd minute before Dupont himself darted over two minutes from time to seal the rout, with Maxime Lucu adding the conversion to complete a 54-17 victory.

Dupont was named Man of the Match for an all-round display that underlined his status as the world’s premier player. The more pressing concern for France now, however, is the scan result awaiting Ntamack and what it means for the months ahead.