Rugby World Cup: Erratic France overcome US to earn vital bonus point in pool C
- Le Bleus run in three late tries to overcome the Americans in the ‘group of death’
- French keep the pressure on old enemy England, who play Argentina on Saturday
France ran in three late tries against the United States on Wednesday to earn a vital bonus point in the Rugby World Cup “group of death” with an erratic 33-9 win.
Les Bleus were just 12-9 ahead with 13 minutes to go before Gael Fickou, Baptiste Serin and Jefferson Poirot dotted down to secure victory against the underdogs.
It was the type of inconsistent performance followers of French rugby have seen all too frequently – breathtaking flair let down by a raft of handling errors.
But the bonus point keeps the pressure up on old enemy England, who play Argentina on Saturday in another pool C clash of the heavyweights.
“It was a very difficult match but the important thing is that we won with a bonus point,” said fly-half Camille Lopez, who picked up the man-of-the-match award.
USA captain Blaine Scully was delighted that his team had been able to push France, three-time World Cup finalists, until the closing stages.
“It’s where we want to be. We want to be testing ourselves in the best competitions against the best teams in the world,” Scully said.