France call up seven for Springboks clash as Ntamack ruled out

France secured the top spot in the northern hemisphere Nations Championship table with a commanding 54-17 win over Fiji on Saturday. However, their victory came at a cost, as fly-half Romain Ntamack left the field with a shoulder injury. This setback, coupled with the absence of injured fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, leaves France without their two top-performing backline players ahead of their upcoming clash with world champions South Africa.

France's strong performance included contributions from several key players, such as Jean-Baptiste Gros, Sipili Falatea, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Kalvin Gourgues, Theo Attissogbe, and captain Antoine Dupont, who scored the eight points for the hosts. The match took place in Lyon, where Fiji started with 10 France-based players, including their entire backline.

Despite their early ambition and efforts, Fiji's backline struggled to find success, with only two tries coming from Vinaya Habosi and Selestino Ravutaumada. France's wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey showed promise, setting up one try, but was otherwise limited in impact. Despite France's dominance, they were prone to errors, leading to a penalty try for Fiji.

The match left France with a two-point lead over Ireland in the standings, but they will need to improve significantly to avoid another defeat against South Africa.