France star Romain Ntamack has been handed a three-week ban following his red card incident during a match against Wales in the Six Nations tournament. The 25-year-old received a yellow card which was later upgraded to a red card after making contact with the head of Wales’ Ben Thomas. This marked the first-ever 20-minute red card in Six Nations history, although it occurred too late in the match for the full 20 minutes to pass. Ntamack, who plays as a fly-half for Toulouse, was charged with contravening law 9.13 and faced a disciplinary panel on Wednesday. Despite initially receiving a six-week ban, it was halved due to his clean disciplinary record, with a chance for further reduction upon completion of the Coaching Intervention Programme.
As a result of the ban, Ntamack will miss the upcoming Six Nations match against England but could potentially be available for the third-round match against Italy. Former Wales captain Sam Warburton labelled the incident as a “revenge mission” following a previous scuffle between Ntamack and Thomas. The tackle by Ntamack and subsequent red card were heavily criticised by rugby pundits, with French paper L’Equipe giving him a low rating and Planet Rugby describing his actions as a “moment of madness”. The decision to issue a red card to Ntamack was widely supported on social media, with many agreeing that the punishment was warranted for his actions on the field.
Opinions on the incident varied, with some calling for a strict ban and others expressing disappointment in Ntamack’s lack of composure during the match. The ban could have implications for both Ntamack’s playing career and France’s performance in the Six Nations tournament. Despite the setback, Ntamack has the opportunity to learn from the incident and work towards redeeming himself on the field. The absence of Ntamack from the upcoming match against England provides an opportunity for other players to step up and fill the void left by the star fly-half. As the rugby community reflects on the incident, the focus now shifts to the upcoming matches in the tournament and how teams will adapt to the absence of key players like Ntamack.