Penaud overtakes Clerc
After less than two minutes of play, on a surplus perfectly exploited in the closed, the winger dived on the left side for the first try. And, before the end of the first period, on a superb knockdown from Matthieu Jalibert despite the pressure, the neo-Bordelais did it again on the right side, to register his 35th try with the XV of France, the 6th in this World Cup, and overtake Vincent Clerc. Only Serge Blanco has done better in the history of the Blues (38).
In the meantime, the XV of France has imposed its superiority in all areas, and in particular in conquest, carried by the hands of Cameron Woki in touch and in the mauls, or the scratches of Jonathan Danty untenable on the ground. Before the break, the offensive bonus was already assured, with two other tries scored, one by the other free electron Louis Bielle-Biarrey, on a serve at the foot of… Penaud, and the other by Thomas Ramos, who dived into a corner taking advantage of a space created by Jalibert and Penaud, him again.
In this disheveled first period, the Blues experienced a single moment of slight hesitation, which Simone Ferrari briefly thought he could exploit at the end of an endless pick and go session in front of the goal (34th). A joy quickly canceled in the video, for a high clearing of the same Ferrari on Maxime Lucu, author of a solid performance in the scrum. Quick behind his rucks, the UBB player launched waves too fast to be repelled by the Italian defense.
Galthié quickly turned
Returning from the locker room, several Italian errors quickly re-established the same dynamic, with a fifth try from Jalibert, his first in this World Cup (47th), quickly followed by the 2nd from Peato Mauvaka, starting near a maul at 5 meters. Fabien Galthié, the job accomplished, was quickly able to bring in new blood, and let the bench participate in the party. Lucu gave way to Baptise Couilloud, local to the stage, then Ramos, author of a 7/8 at the foot, let Melvyn Jaminet take the back (2/3).
Not satisfied, the French brought their total of tries to 8. Yoram Moefana, who entered on the hour mark, scored a double, quickly found by a beautiful jump pass from Jalibert to conclude a sequence of their own camp (64th). The Italians, long deprived of ammunition, managed to create some good sequences in the second half, and were finally rewarded 10 minutes from time, behind a breakthrough from Luca Morisi on the wing. Despite a big tackle during the action from Anthony Jelonch, cutting through the entire match, Manuel Zuliani found the fault on the right side in pick and go, relieving the honor of the Transalpines (72nd).
The “match of fear” will therefore not have taken place for the Blues, who finished this group A with an immaculate record of 4 successes, including 2 bonuses, and a first place ahead of New Zealand. The mountain of the final stages now stands between the French XV and its objective, with a potential quarter-final against the reigning South African champion. With or without Dupont? Anyway, the hard part begins.