WHILE MOST OTHER nations in Rugby World Cup warm-up mode are still prioritising tries, France showed last night that they have have settled right in to knock-out mode.
Ireland’s pool rivals clinically punished England (who ended with 12 penalties against their name) by clipping over five first half penalties.
That 15 – 6 half-time cushion allowed them momentum and confidence – French rugby’s most potent weapons.
Five minutes in to the second period they landed the killer blow when Yoann Huget powered on to a pop pass from Freddy Michalak. Once through the gap, Huget still had full back Mike Brown to beat.
The Toulouse wing showed that his feet are capable of a much lighter touch than the one he showed when facing Bordeaux in the Top14 in May.
Despite recklessly (at the very least) planting his foot on the head of lock Jandre Marais, the Toulouse man was not cited.
To England’s credit, they did continue to chase the game after it was out of reach. After Danny Cipriani went over with nine minutes on the clock, Stuart Lancaster’s side showed their ball-handling skills to help put Jonathan Joseph away in the 77th minutes.
