Ntamack - 'We can still achieve our dream'
'I think the players realised that they can achieve their dream'
It could have been a scene from a holiday programme – bronzed figures relaxing beside a hotel swimming pool under the Auvergne sun.
But the next few days for the young men who occasionally cooled off in the pool will be anything but a holiday. For they are the France Under-21 team, who will step onto the pitch at the Parc Marcel Michelin in Clermont Ferrand on Sunday, knowing that they are 80 minutes from lifting the International Rugby Board (IRB) Under-21 World Championship crown.
Defending champions South Africa stand in their way, but one of the French coaching team, former France international Emile N'tamack, believes the confidence following their semi-final win over Australia, as well as the support of the home crowd, will give them the edge on Sunday.
"The second half against Australia was the culmination of all the hard work put in by the players," N'tamack told irbu21.com from the team's hotel on the outskirts of Clermont Ferrand.
"I think the players realised that they can achieve their dream of winning this tournament."
Over 13,000 fans will pack out the Parc Marcel Michelin on Sunday afternoon, and N'tamack is expecting the same level of support as against Australia at the semi final stage.
"I think the players feed off the support and the noise created by the crowd. The fans in Auvergne are fantastic and they really get behind the players."
France and South Africa have already met once in the tournament – a pool match at a wet Issoire which ended with a 14-10 win to South Africa. The game was as close as the scoreline suggests, with the home team pounding unsuccessfully against a young Springbok defence for the last 15 minutes of the game.
"We created a number of opportunities and were in the match all the way," says N'tamack.
"We may have committed a few small errors, but the final is another kettle of fish. South Africa will be out to defend their title and we're expecting it to be really tough."
For now, the emphasis for the players is to relax and recuperate.
But the focus will soon turn to the serious business of winning a match on Sunday, which could see France crowned as the first-ever northern hemisphere winners of the IRB U21 World Championship crown.
