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An absolute statement display from France saw them rack up 96 unanswered points in a stellar display of ambition and precision in Marseille. A hat-trick for the world’s best wing Damian Penaud with braces for the returning Jonathan Danty, the brilliant Louis Bielle-Biarrey and the magnificent Charles Ollivon destroyed the part timers Namibia as France simply pressed the accelerator and sped out into the night.
The first half was dominated by the genius of Antoine Dupont and his partnership with Matthieu Jalibert – some of the rugby was quite sublime, with Dupont manufacturing cross-field tries off both feet to his wings. But the try of the half came down the right flank as Dupont and Jalibert combined with ins and outs, no look passes and incredible vision to send Ollivon over for a magnificent try.
The cost
But the cost of this win could be incalculable. Word is Dupont is on his way to hospital with a suspected fractured cheekbone after a reckless tackle from Namibian skipper Johan Deysel. If the concerns about Dupont are confirmed, Deysel may just find himself the most wanted man in France, given the public expectation of both France and their skipper.
Dupont wasn’t the only casualty. Word is Uini Atonio was withdrawn as a precaution as the tighthead suffered a slight thigh niggle, whilst utility back-row Paul Boudehent also left the field with a head injury as a result of getting his head on the wrong side of his own tackle and is sure to need the minimum HIA stand down.
The good news is that France’s returning trio of Anthony Jelonch, Cyril Baille and Danty all got through the match unscathed, with Danty in particular impressing all. But whilst the French management smiled to the press conference and assured all of Dupont’s fortitude and recovery ability, the tournament and the hosts cannot afford to lose the world game’s true superstar and there will be black clouds over Marseille until the results of the scans and the subsequent prognosis are confirmed. He is the difference between winning a World Cup and not – it really is that big.
Records everywhere
On the upside, France took a lot of records with them this evening. This is their highest win in Test rugby history, beating their 87-0 victory against the same opposition in 2007. Penaud scored for the sixth consecutive Test match, a French record, whilst Thomas Ramos became the biggest French points scorer in a season, a bar that he’s sure to raise to even greater heights in the forthcoming weeks.
Ollivon took the scoring record for a French forward as he crashed over for his 15th try in only 37 Tests. To put this in perspective, he beats the record of Imanol Harinordoquy, who scored his 13 tries in 45 more Tests. Ollivon’s record as the most prolific forward in Test rugby history now stands at a try every 2.4 Tests, a strike rate better than elite centres like Brian O’Driscoll or Ma’a Nonu, let alone back-row forwards.
Penuad scored his 35th try tonight in his 47 Tests – overtaking Vincent Clerc as number two in France’s try scoring list. He only has Serge Blanco ahead of him with 38 tries in 93 Tests and it’s pretty much a certainty that Penaud will take that crown in this World Cup cycle, a quite remarkable achievement.
