France’s Ntamack to miss England game after red card

Men’s Six Nations: England v France

Date: Saturday, 8 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Romain Ntamack will miss France’s Six Nations match against England at Allianz Stadium on Saturday through suspension.

The fly-half was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Ben Thomas in the closing stages of France’s 43-0 win over Wales in Paris on 31 January.

At a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday, Ntamack received a ban of three weeks/matches. However, that sanction may be reduced to two weeks/matches if the 25-year-old completes World Rugby’s Coaching Intervention Programme.

Details of when Ntamack can return to action will be confirmed in due course.

The disciplinary committee determined that the mid-range entry point of a six week/match suspension was appropriate for Ntamack’s foul play.

After taking into account his guilty plea and previous disciplinary record, that punishment was reduced by 50%.

Ntamack was making his first international appearance for more than a year against Wales.

A serious knee injury caused the Toulouse star to miss a home Rugby World Cup in 2023 and last year’s Six Nations, while he did not feature in his country’s autumn internationals because of a calf problem.