France annihilate 14-man Namibia 87-10 in Pool D match
16-Sep-2007
After their loss to Argentina in the opening match, France didn't want to take any chances against Namibia at Le Stade, Toulouse. They started off with determination and continued picking up steam throughout the match. Les Bleus recorded their biggest ever international win, toasting Namibia 87-10.
The score was 10-7 after 19 minutes when Namibia's Jacques Nieuwenhuis was given a red card and sent off the field for a dangerous tackle around the neck of French star Sébastien Chabal. The Welwitschias' fate was sealed and after a few missed opportunities France finally took advantage of their extra man, adding 4 more tries before halftime.
In the second half Les Bleus showed their peak form, all be it against a reduced Namibian team. They scored try after try and at times it seemed that the Welwitschias had given up trying to stop them. But it was Namibia that scored the final points of the match; centre Bratley Langenhoven intercepted a pass and raced down the field to score Namibia's only try of the game.
France have upted the ante for quarterfinal qualification from Pool D. Les Blues are sitting in third place for the pool but rivals Ireland only managed to beat Namibia by 15 points and they are yet to face the French and Argentines. The Pumas are possibly in the strongest position but they too could miss out on qualification if their next matches don't go well.
Could we see France vs New Zealand in the Quarterfinal?
Time will tell...
Related articles:
|
