Sofiane Guitoune pretty in pink as he catches eye for France against Romania
Youngster’s scorching speed and extensive reach help him to two tries
It wasn’t just his bright pink boots that made France’s Sofiane Guitoune stand out in France’s 38-11 victory over Romania at the Rugby World Cup on Wednesday.
What really caught the eye were his scorching bursts of speed and the extensive reach that enabled him to stretch out, even after being tackled, and touch down for two tries at crucial stages of the match.
It was Guitoune who broke a first-half stalemate by bursting through near the touchline and grounding the ball right-handed in the corner after nearly half-an-hour, as France immediately capitalised on Romania’s Paulica Ion being sin-binned.
After the interval, when France led 17-6 with a further try from Yannick Nyanga, it was Guitoune who broke through at the start of the final quarter for try number three, again displaying his pace and reach despite being tackled on the line by two defenders.
That score opened the way for two more tries, from Wesley Fofana and Gael Fickou, as France eventually ran away with a game that had not gone to plan for the opening half hour.