Black Panther is ready to pounce

COMPARISONS were inevitable if not entirely odious. There could never be another Serge Blanco on this planet, never mind France, yet, as much as anyone, Emile N'tamack has emerged as the symbol of French rugby in its finest sense, proof of which is that, like Blanco, he now has his own sportswear line. His symbol is utterly appropriate too: a black panther.

Lansdowne Road will have greatness in its midst this afternoon, as the Irish, who have had as good a view of his heels as most, know only too well. The panther's penchant for Irish defences has seen him score four tries in three meetings, so it's of some minor consolation to Dominic Crotty and Co that N'tamack is not in the prime of his form at the moment.

Like Blanco, he's black and he's brilliant and with the timing of his coming and the colour of his skin it was a mantle N'tamack was destined to live with. He wears it well, and actually owes it in no small measure to Blanco himself.

Blanco believed in his kindred spirit long before others did, taking him under his wing and encouraging him all the while.

Along with another free spirit, Jean Pierre Rives, Blanco ensured that N'tamack was regularly included on the French Barbarians squad.

Yet it hadn't always been so. Born in Lyons to a Cameroon father and French mother, rugby was considered an unlikely past time in a city that is traditionally a hotbed of football. It so happened that his friends played rugby and, thus, so did the young Emile.

Even so, when he moved to Beziers to combine studies in physical education with rugby, Beziers rejected him. How bizarre. They thought he wasn't good enough; some coach somewhere is probably still hiding in his living room.

But the Stade Toulousain club offered him an opportunity and the 19 year old N'tamack was on the Toulouse under 21 French championship side, the nucleus of which went on to provide the cornerstone of the club's all conquering side of the 1990s.

Again like Blanco, he was a full back, and so, when Blanco retired at the end of the 1992-93 season, the mentor invited the protege to move to Biaritz and become the heir apparent. Ntamack thought long and hard about that one, ultimately deciding not to uproot his family again and move to what remains a relative outpost in rugby and professional terms, despite the inspiration of Blanco.

Instead, N'tamack remained with Toulouse, where opportunities were comparatively bountiful. Despite coming under Blanco's wing, N'tamack switched from fullback to the right wing - a smart career move given the arrival of Jean Luc Sadourny.

The breakthrough into the French team came against Wales in 1994, but, as befits a shy, reticent type, N'tamack was tentative and unconvincing. Cue the selectors' guillotine. Recalled after the Five Nations', he scored a try against Canada and then truly made his name in France's triumphant tour of New Zealand.

He left Jonah Lomu in his wake to score an intercept try in the first test which left the Christchurch crowd gasping, and prompted Lomu to describe N'tamack as "my black nightmare". N'tamack also played a critical part in France's so called "try from the end of the earth" in the second test, when he accelerated, drew the defence and slipped an inside pass to Laurent Cabannes.

N'tamack had arrived. The former AllBlack full back Don Clarke observed: "l think he's just brilliant. He is always looking to create something; he's got good hands, he's fast, and you don't see many wingers getting past him. He's a very good winger.

A year later, he would be regarded as a great winger, worthy of inclusion in any pundit's World Cup XV. Prior to that, he scored tries in the opening and concluding Five Nations' games against Wales and Ireland, missing the intervening defeats to England and Scotland through injury.

Against Ireland he was also, memorably, employed as the place kicker memorable, that is, for being truly horrendous at it. N'tamack landed only one penalty and a conversion, thereby saving Ireland from a traditional pasting.

Tries are this panther's staple diet. The first of three in the World Cup came in the group decider against Scotland, when he came across his wing to deny Scotland victory in the last minute. This is not his raison d'etre, for N'tamack is not considered as adept as, say, Philippe St Andre at leaving his position to sniff out openings around the pitch. But, along with St Andre (missing today) and Sadourny, he has the trademark French eye for the counter attack witness the sidestepping run from a ruck inside his own 22 which initiated the six man try in Cardiff last season.

Unusually for a coverted full back, N'tamack has developed into more of an orthodox winger, though a highly classy one. At 6' 2" and 14st 3lb, he is strong and difficult to bring down. He is poised and composed, has a lethal sidestep, especially off his left foot, and, in that gracefully upright way of his, is deceptively quick - as Brendan Mullin can testify he chased him for 70 minutes in the conclusion to his career and the World Cup quarter final.

N'tamack also scored the decisive try in the third place play off win over England, a relatively meaningless affair but a crucial, cathartic win for the French. Named Player of the Year in France, he followed that up with another 10 tries in seven internationals last season - taking his tally to 17 tries from 25 caps.

Nevertheless, his form is considered to have dipped since that peak of 1995. This, perhaps, is as much the product of France's unwieldy championship and the additional weight of the European Cup as the expectations founded by 1995 and inheriting Blanco's mantle.

Even unfit or overweight, Blanco, striking stealthily from full back, was always France's most likely match winner. N'tamack cannot exert that same dynamism from right wing. Being made captain of Toulouse perhaps also took its toll; his club dangled all the carrots they could find to fend off covetous Australian rugby league clubs and the fat cats of the Courage League.

After leading Toulouse to a third successive domestic championship and the inaugural European Cup last season, N'tamack was sidelined by an abdominal injury after the quarter final against Dax. He missed the two defeats to South Africa and only returned, prematurely perhaps, for the semi final defeat against Leicester.

Even with Thomas Casteigneide's season similarly handicapped, the French remain cock sure they will win today - the concern being by how much and in what manner. They are also concerned that they may have seen the best of N'tamack already.

Very popular within the squad, N'tamack is an unimposing, easy going man, who doesn't eat, sleep and drink rugby. He needs, say the French, a kick up the derriere, and the arrival of Pierre Villepreux, an uncompromising coach though another kindred spirit and creator of the Toulouse running game, may well be the man to assume the mentor role of Blanco and Pierre Berbizier.

And if ever the old maxim applies, then surely it is with Emile N'tamack. Class est permanent.