2023-09-08 23:46:26
2023 Rugby World Cup in FrancedossierFabien Galthié’s players got off to a good start in the competition by dominating the Blacks, this Friday, September 8, at the Stade de France (27-13). Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet each scored a try.
We don’t know the exact date, but it was one day in the fall of 1823 that a certain William Webb Ellis had, in a town an hour from London, the crazy idea of grabbing the ball in his hand during a football game. . Two centuries exactly later, here we are in a melting Stade de France, quenched in the surroundings with pints at stratospheric prices (12 euros for the tap!) for the opening of the tenth Rugby World Cup the story. In truth, we feared the worst after seeing a few promotional images circulating upstream. In fact, the launch ceremony, concocted by star actor Jean Dujardin and a joyful band of hedonistic patriots, will leave a, how to say, warmly mixed memory.
Fortunately, a match had been planned behind. A meeting destined, at least on paper, to make history: France-New Zealand. A mountain that was not going to give birth to a mouse, but to a main course, bitter, long indecisive, but not sooty either. At 27-13, France won, that’s a fact. In truth, the outcome of the match, as we knew at kick-off, should not have any impact on the verdict of Pool A where, due to the imbalance of forces present, the two opponents of the evening will succeed to win their ticket to the quarter-finals to, among three or four others, who knows, find themselves in the final in seven weeks.
Dos around
The appearance of the match, on the other hand, could weigh on the morale of the troops in view of subsequent games. France, at home, carried by a clamor covering the entire territory, arrived with confidence, when the Blacks were coming off eleven victories in a row punctuated by a crushing defeat against South Africa, during the last preparation match …and the last minute withdrawal of their captain, Sam Cane, one of the grunts of the fern team.
From the first half, there will basically not be much to remember other than the first New Zealand try after 90 seconds, following a breakthrough from Ioane which, in continuity, allowed the winger Mark Telea to flatten after a long pass to the foot, diagonally, from Barrett. A cold snap followed by the premature exit of the tricolor hooker, Julien Marchand, injured in the thigh. However, France was going to hang on, compensating for a timid attitude with a certain self-sacrifice which, pushing the Blacks to make mistakes, allowed Thomas Ramos, also in charge of the occupation game, to score three penalties, out of four attempted . The art of turning your back.
Rise to power
Driven by more conquering intentions, the Blues nevertheless saw themselves punished as soon as the second half resumed, following a new counter-offensive concluded again on the wing by Telea. In the meantime, the referee did not only make friends by making three decisions unfavorable to France which, paradoxically, would find itself galvanized. A bit as if it took a half-time to take stock of the event and, finally, start playing liberated. As proof, Damian Penaud’s try, scored in the corner following a “penalty touch” while the Blues could capitalize on the three points from a penalty. At 16-13, everything was far from over, but France inexorably gained momentum, a second and final try, an acrobatic one, from Melvyn Jaminet finishing punishing the undisciplined Blacks (twelve penalties conceded against four, plus a yellow card) unable to transcend themselves in their rare highlights.
At 27-13, France makes a successful start to the World Cup and makes its task much easier for itself going forward, where rotating the squad will allow the physical freshness of the executives to be preserved, while New Zealand is rather dry ultimately beaten, suffered its first group defeat in the history of the World Cup. Being already looking forward to tomorrow does not prevent us from enjoying a start that portends a radiant start to autumn.
Update: September 8 at 11:45 p.m. with the report from our special correspondent
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