France must cope without the player who makes the world's best even better

Can France recreate Romain Ntamack in the aggregate - or are the hopes and dreams of the World Cup hosts already holed below the waterline

POSER: France’s head coach Fabien Galthie has plenty to ponder ahead of next Friday’s RWC opener against New Zealand. Pic: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

When Romain Ntamack limped off the pitch in the World Cup warm-up match against Scotland in Saint-Etienne in early August, French rugby fans held their breaths.

The collective nervousness was as palpable as the mounting excitement for the tournament itself. How serious was his knee injury? The look on his face suggested he feared his World Cup was over before it began.