France remain top after four rounds. They nevertheless approach the rest of the Nations Championship without their No. 10, and with a half-back pairing once again broken. The win counts, but the context weighs more heavily. Autumn 2026 is not a period when the player pool allows a key player to be replaced without concern, and the French half-back pairing has only just been rebuilt.
The France XV beat Fiji on the fourth round of the Nations Championship, at the end of a Lyon evening without outrageous brilliance. France take an attacking bonus and lead the Northern Hemisphere standings with 17 points. The victory nevertheless leaves a bitter taste: fly-half Romain Ntamack comes off injured in the left shoulder.
The list of absentees is not limited to the fly-half. The Flament-Meafou second row is in the infirmary, and centre Fabien Brau-Boirie is also missing.
The smile beginning to form on the faces of the French players then turns into a grimace. Their fly-half is hurt on the ground.
This exit suggests that the next appearance of the duo, cursed of late, will not take place in November.