France led 31-0 by half-time with tries from Damien Penault, Louis Vier-Bialley and Thomas Ramos. Mathieu Jalibert, Pete Maubaka and Yoram Moefana (two) scored touchdowns in the second half.Italy eliminated from Rugby World Cup
22:52, UK, Friday 6 October 2023
France booked their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with an eight-try 60-7 victory over Italy in Lyon on Friday.
France earned a bonus point with Damien Penault scoring twice in the first half, and Louis Vier Bialley and Thomas Ramos scoring their own tries, making the score 31-0 by half-time.
Les Bleus led 52-0 in the second half with touchdowns from Mathieu Jalibert, Pete Mauvaka and Yoram Moefana (two), but Italy showed some effort in the 70th minute, with Manuel Zuliani scoring the only goal. He scored a try and Tommaso Allan added another point.
As a result, France advanced to Pool A with 18 points, surpassing New Zealand in the group stage standings, while third-placed Italy ended the tournament with a defeat.
Fabien Galthie’s side will face either South Africa, Scotland or Ireland in the quarter-finals on Sunday, October 15, as they will be without captain Antoine Dupont who underwent surgery for a fractured jaw.
As the home fans celebrated, Penault crossed for a corner and France took control after just three minutes when Biel-Bialley evaded a late tackle.
The onslaught continued after half-time, with hooker Pete Maubaka rolling from a lineout and substitute back Yoram Moefana scoring his first goal.
France’s Maxime Luk started at scrum-half in place of the injured Dupont, but showed no signs of missing his captaincy after a dominant performance against the Italians.
Italy’s poor performance continued after Thursday’s 96-17 loss to New Zealand, with the second-youngest team in the tournament leaving the tournament looking distraught as the final whistle rang.
What’s next?
All four home nations play on Saturday, with Ireland facing Scotland in Pool B (8pm), Wales facing Georgia in Pool C (2pm) and England facing Samoa in Pool D (pm). 4:45 p.m.).
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