The match may have descended into a bit of a mess at the end, as Canada’s intensity fell away, but that was still literally the most fun anyone has ever had in Milton Keynes a very entertaining game.
France get their bonus point win, they weren’t at their best but they seem to be warming up nicely and there was a lot for them to pleased about, especially in the performances of Michalak and Bastareaud. They have Ireland up next and that should be a stormer.
Canada continue to improve game-on-game. Had they played like that against Italy, they probably would have won, although that intensity they showed in the first 20 minutes of the second half and in that brief first-half period that yielded two quick tries did drop off towards the end. Still, with them and Romania improving, their match at Leicester next Tuesday might not be the awful slog we were expecting. This World Cup is great, isn’t it?
Cheers for reading, folks. Do join us again tomorrow for New Zealand v Georgia. Bye!
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Full-time: France 41-18 Canada
Quick ball from the lineout and France go right, but the ball is knocked backwards and Canada hack ahead. Nothing else of note happens and that’s that.
79 min Jones has returned to the pitch. It all goes a bit loose, the ball bobbling around on the floor, and Olmstead knocks on. To compound the error, one of their players plays it from an offside position and gives away a penalty. Tales to touch on the left in the 22.
78 min France look to run from deep, sending it beautifully along the 22. Tales plays a lovely little cross-kick on the run for Dulin, but it bounces and goes into touch just in front of the wing. Cudmore takes the lineout and Canada will look to finish on a high.
77 min France have a scrum over on the left, midway inside their own half. I didn’t see why – sorry.
76 min The problem for Canada there was, ironically, that Blevins was stuck in the scrum, which created the overlap in the backs.
Conversion (Parra 76) France 41-18 Canada
That’s an absolute beauty of a kick from the left-footer, right on the wrong touchline.
Try! (Grosso 75) France 39-18 Canada
To rather needless and mean-spirited boos, the TMO confirms that the ball was dotted down just a fraction of a moment before his foot slipped into touch.
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75 min Left it goes off the scrum, Parra comes round off the loop and Grosso slides over in the corner. “Touch in goal” is what Wayne Barnes thinks, so we’re going to the TMO. This is really, really tight...
74 min A rare mistake by Hearn as he takes his eye off the ball and spills it under his own posts. Scrum France, as Ouedraogo comes on for Chouly.
73 min That’s a great defensive scrum though as Kayser pops up under pressure from Barkwill. Canada stuck the centre Blevins in the pack for that and it proved a good decision. It’s kicked to touch on the right, halfway inside the half.
72 min From the lineout it goes quickly into the midfield, then left to Dumoulin and he slips off the tackle and up towards the line. Dala is sin-binned for a slightly cynical offside, so France take the scrum five metres out.
71 min Dumoulin is on for Bastareaud. At this scrum, Tiedemann is penalised for going to ground; “FAHK!” he screams. Tales sticks the penalty into touch on the left, just six metres out. Good kick, that.
69 min Another attacking surge from France, with Bastareaud at the centre, but Dala makes a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and there’s an accidental offside. France are penalised for an early engagement by Kayser and McRorie gooes quickly, but there’s a forward pass by Hirayama.
68 min More changes as Le Roux and Michalak make way for Tales and Nyanga for France, while Tiedemann comes on for Wooldridge for Canada.
Conversion (Michalak 68) France 34-18 Canada
Michalak knocks it over comfortably enough, from 15 metres inside the right touchline.
Try! (Pape 67) France 32-18 Canada
The maul rumbles quickly towards the line. It’s stopped just short, before Pape picks and goes. A quick check with the TMO confirms that the lock has dotted it down on the line. There’s the bonus point.
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66 min Penalty against Mackenzie for coming in and tackling the maul. With 15 minutes left to get the bonus point, Michalak stabs it into touch five metres out on the right. McRorie replaces Mack for Canada.
65 min Great work from Canada as they push all the way up to the 10 metre line, but then a poor pass infield is nicked by Bastareaud. Chouly puts the grubber through to the corner and Van der Merwe takes it into touch.
64 min In making that tackle, Olmstead’s forehead clattered into the nose of Harry Jones. On comes Trainor as a blood replacement. Back to the match and Gilmour picks up at the back of a Canada scrum on the five-metre line, offloading to Mack, who surges up to the 22.
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63 min Slimani off, Mas on. Le Roux takes the lineout at the back and the pack goes flying towards the line and, indeed, inside towards the posts. It’s stopped just short, so they go left to Bastareaud, who is brilliantly stopped! The centre looked to have far too much as he shrugged off Hearn, but Olmstead came around and smashed into Bastareaud to dislodge the ball.
62 min Olmstead comes on for Aaron Carpenter as France get quick ball off the top of the lineout. They get yet another penalty for Barkwill as he goes off his feet at a ruck and the replacement hooker probably needs to be careful. Michalak kicks to touch again, on the right, inside the 22.
61 min France look to put width on it, with Dusautoir taking it out wide and then offloading out to Dulin on the loop. The wing’s pass back inside is intercepted though and the teams exchange long kicks, before Barkwill is penalised for side entry at a ruck. Michalaka goes to touch down the right.
60 min A triple change for France: Guirado, Ben Arous and Tillous-Borde off; Kayser, Debaty and Parra on. This isn’t a bad French bench.
Penalty (Michalak 59) France 27-18 Canada
Michalak’s going to play it safe and go for goal from 30 metres. He’s not in the mood to miss.
58 min Now a chance for France as Mack looks to spiral a box kick into the corner but underhits it and allows the ball to sit up nicely for Grosso to run into space. He gets a good 35 metres, France go through the phases and there’s a penalty against Dala for not rolling away.
57 min That penalty puts Canada back within a score – if any team is going to panic in this position, surely it’s England France?
Penalty (Hirayama 56) France 24-18 Canada
This one is 18 metres in from the left and about 26 out. Hirayama coolly knocks it over.
55 min It goes left, quickly and smoothly, but Jones is tackled well by Grosso. They come back inside and Maestri goes offside at the ruck. The Candians have utterly dominated this second half, but have gone without reward so far. Hirayama will kick for goal.
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54 min Mack snipes down the blindside and hacks forward, with Spedding gathering inside his 22. He runs back, into Cudmore, and knocks on. It looked like a high tackle to me, but Canada are awarded the scrum.
53 min The penalty, on halfway, is right by the touchline and Hirayama does well to even make 10 metres. It’s a poor lineout, but Barkwill scrapes it up off the floor and retains possession for Canada.
52 min France look to run it from the scrum, with Dulin coming in off his wing. Left it goes and Michalak finds Spedding hitting the line at speed on the left, but Hearn makes a great tackle and the full-back is done for holding on.
51 min Canada run it back and Hearn wriggles through a half-gap to get up to the 22. Sears-Duru carries it on, but the big replacement prop is held up well by Chouly and Michalak, and France get the scrum on their own 22.
50 min There’s nothing happening now for Canada, despite Cudmore’s entertaining through-the-legs pass, so Hirayama kicks for the corner. He misses it though and Spedding dots it down for the drop-out.
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49 min Dulin fields the clearance and France counter, but Bastareaud knocks on in contact and Canada look to run at the broken field. They’re shut down though.
48 min It’s thrown to the front, but at the maul there’s an accidental offside as Canada don’t join in. Scrum Canada, 10 from their own line. Thorpe is replaced by Barkwill, so Carpenter goes back to eight, while Sears-Duru comes on for Buydens.
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47 min That’s more like it from France, as Buydens pops up and gives away the penalty. Michalak goes to the corner.
46 min Now France get the gain line advantage as Bastareaud crashes it up. France recycle, but Wooldridge and Cudmore win a brilliant turnover. They go right, but Hirayama’s no-look pass out to Mackenzie is poor and goes to ground. Scrum France five out from the 22.
45 min From the free-kick, Hirayama puts it up and Spedding runs back, earning a penalty as Dala rips the ball in the ruck. Michalak puts it out on the left.
44 min Mackenzie knocks on badly out wide, so France get the scrum five metres in on the 10 metre line. They need to reestablish their earlier dominance, but that’s not going to happen here as Slimani is penalised for an early engagement.
43 min From the restart, Hirayama kicks long and Michalak does the same; Harry Jones takes in his 22 and calls the mark, so France look to come back. They’re wrapped up on the 22 though and then Tillous-Borde’s grubber, stabbed wide, is easily fielded by Hirayama.
Penalty (Hirayama 42) France 24-15 Canada
Straight through it goes.
42 min Canada’s scrum has done brilliantly since its early struggles and gets a penalty here as Ben Arous goes to ground. Three easy points from near enough in front here.
41 min Hirayama restarts and Thorpe knocks on in the French 22 as he tries to reclaim it. France were half asleep though, allowing the ball to bounce.
Ah here are Canada. Incidentally Cudmore is their captain now.
France are back out. The others came here from Canada and appear to be slow.
Well that was much better than I expected. Five tries and both sides playing open, attacking rugby. They’re both looking to get quick ball off the front foot and there’s been some scintillating back play, not least from Frederic Michalak. More of the same after the break, please!
Half-time: France 24-12 Canada
Thorpe picks up at the back of the scrum and Canada pick and drive forwards, with Carpenter spinning out of the tackle. They’re making ground, but also getting dragged towards touch. Eventually they turn it over and Bastareaud boots it out.
39 min This time Michalak kicks, only finding Hirayama outside the Canada 22. It’s sent up high and Tillous-Borde makes an excellent catch on the 10 metre line, but then the scrum-half knocks on at the subsequent ruck.
Conversion (Michalak 39) France 24-12 Canada
Michalak adds the extras and makes France’s lead comfortable once again.
Try! (Slimani 38) France 22-12 Canada
Harry Jones looks like he’s going to come on for Canada. He’s normally either a stand-off or full-back and it’ll be the latter position for him tonight as Evans hobbles off. The ball is thrown to the back to Pape, a second pod forms and comes round the back, and drives Slimani over with utmost ease.
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37 min The move breaks down, but there was a penalty against Wooldridge for sticking his hands in the ruck on the floor. Michalak goes to the corner. Apparently Wooldridge sells elevator parts – I could have called him when I got stuck in the lift here for an hour last month.
36 min Hirayama misses the conversion – a relatively easy one – then kicks the restart back down the middle to Spedding. He counters at pace and France spin it wide, Dusautoir carrying down the right deep into the 22.
Try! (Carpenter 34) France 17-12 Canada
This is amazing! Mack fires a poor, too-fast pass to Van der Merwe. France get it, but give away a penalty and the scrum-half goes quickly. Gilmour has it on the right and there’s a massive overlap, but he seemingly butchers it by holding on to the ball and ignoring Mackenzie. It comes back inside though as bodies pile in, and the hooker drives over through some non-existent fringe defence.
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33 min That was a brilliant response from Canada, inspired by a magnificent catch from Hearn outjumping Grosso at the restart. From this restart, they go again with Van der Merwe getting it on to Dala and the replacement back row speeding down the left touchline and deep into French territory. Still they go through the phases, driving France back and up to the 22.
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Try! (Van der Merwe 31 + Hirayama con) France 17-7 Canada
Hirayama switches the restart and Canada catch France cold; Hearn takes and offloads to Mackenzie, who flies towards the line down the right. They go left, through the hands and there’s an overlap as Dulin steps in; Van der Merwe goes round the outside of him and goes over for his third of the World Cup! Hirayama curls the extras over.
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Conversion (Michalak 30) France 17-0 Canada
It looks like being one of those Freddy Michalak days as he slots it from the left touchline.
Try! (Guirado 28) France 15-0 Canada
Another French lineout, just outside the 22 and Bastareaud crashes it up. With defenders sucked in, Fofana steps through another large gap, before Grosso is stopped just short. The maul forms out on the left, just a few metres out and there’s no stopping that, try as Canada might.
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27 min Incidentally Thorpe has gone to eight, with Dala at open-side. The London Welsh man picks it up after a much better scrum, five metres from his own line, and Hirayama clears. That was very impressive from Wooldridge.
25 min Oh my! Another dummy and shimmy from Michalak on halfway and he goes through, before placing a perfect chip with his left foot, infield for Fofana to chase. It bounces up perfectly for the centre, right on the line, but the centre somehow contrives to knock it on. That should have been a glorious try.
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24 min It’s quickly picked up at the base and Canada get up to the 22. Mack box kicks clear and Spedding takes it quick to Grosso, then Basteraud gives it left with a sumptuous offload into the short side.
23 min Chouly steps and goes through a gap on the angle after Tillous-Borde delayed the pass and drew his man. The number eight gives it on to Bastareaud, who takes it on the front foot and it takes four (!) men to hold him up just short. Canada get the scrum as the maul had formed, right under their own posts. Even though it’s their feed, this is dangerous.
22 min But Dusautoir comes in at the side and Canada get the penalty. It’s only a brief respite as Hirayama misses touch and Spedding runs it back at pace, getting France up over the Canada 10 metre line.
21 min Michalak pumps it to touch on the right, in the Canadian 22. It’s taken by Pape in the middle, before Guirado breaks from the maul and drives towards the line.
20 min An absurd reverse out the back of the hand there from Michalak to Maestri, but nothing comes of it, so France go back and forth through the hands. They get a penalty on halfway when Wooldridge goes too high on Dulin.
19 min Bad knews for Canada as Captain Ardron goes off and is replaced by Nanyak Dala. We’re restarting with a lineout, from which Canada work it back and forth along the line before Hirayama misjudges a chip over the top and gives it to Dulin just inside the French half.
18 min The drop out from Michalak is high and, though it’s tapped back by Cudmore, Maestri seizes the loose ball for the French. It goes right to Michalak, who looks to spiral one into the corner, but can only pick out Van der Merwe with a flat kick. An exchange of kicks follows as Ardron receives treatment to, I think, his knee.
17 min Canada get it through the hands to Hirayama, but the fly-half hesitates and is caught, putting his side on the back foot. Buydens and Carpenter recover momentum well, before Hirayama has a pop at the drop goal from 40 metres; it drifts well wide.
16 min The lineout is won at the front under pressure and this time Tillous-Borde does get his clearance away, into touch, midway inside his own half.
15 min Spedding takes the restart and is well scragged as he looks to wriggle free. Michalak runs from under his posts, throwing an absurd pass half the width of the pitch, where Dulin is tackled. The box kick from Tillous-Borde is charged down into touch by Ardron.
Penalty (Michalak 14) France 10-0 Canada
Freddy Michalak overtakes Thierry Lacroix as France’s record points scorer at World Cups.
13 min The ball is won by Canada but bounces on the floor and Ben Arous runs on to it. He checks his man and offloads for Pape, but the pass is to the big lock’s knees and spilled forward. Still, the scrum is a non-contest and Buydens pops out the scrum under immense pressure from Slimani. Penalty France and it won’t be the first at the scrum.
12 min It’s an awkward scrum for France, but they get it. Michalak spots Van der Merwe up out of position and spirals an excellent kick over his head and into touch on the right, 12 metres inside the Canadian half.
10 min Lovely hands from Van der Merwe and Carpenter as Canada run it back, offloading left. The move is stopped out wide, so they move it right only for Blevins to knock on on the 22.
9 min Hirayama kicks right to the corner and Beukeboom wins it. They go quick off the top and spin it left, but there’s some excellent work on the floor and France win the turnover. Gross clears to halfway.
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8 min Another huge tackle flattens Mack, the scrum-half, and you do fear for Canada. They retain possession though and go right, where they win a penalty as Bastareaud doesn’t roll away from the tackle on Mackenzie.
7 min From his own 10 metre line, centrefield, Hiraryama finds a good touch on the 22. Dusautoir steals it though and France put width on it, before Dulin is turned on the 10 metre line.
6 min That was ominous for the Canadian defence. Michalak returns this restart deep into the 22, but Canada run it back with Van der Merwe looking to hare down the left. “Advantage over,” calls Doyle, then decides he’d done so too quickly and he goes back for a penalty for offside.
Conversion (Michalak 5) France 7-0 Canada
From about 10 metres to the right of the sticks, Michalak adds the extras.
Try! (Fofana 4) France 5-0 Canada
Absolutely magical footwork from Michalak on halfway, as he delays, dummies and steps through a poor double tackle from Wooldridge and Mack. He dances through to the 22 and gives it right for Fofana to finish. That’s the quickest try at this tournament.
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3 min Canada recover it despite being on the back foot and Hirayama clears on his left foot. He misses touch and France run it back through Spedding.
2 min From the lineout, France crash it up the middle and the maul forms, 10 metres out. Ardron, the captain, gets himself right in the middle of it though and holds Chouly up, winning the turnover and the scrum.
Peep! JP Doyle blows his whistle and Michalak gets things started. Cudmore spills it backwards, but Mack’s clearance is allowed to bounce and it comes back to Canada on halfway. After a massive hit by Dusautoir on Buydens, it’s recycled and Canada go off their feet at the ruck. Michalak finds touch on the 22.
Anthems watch: there is a serious amount of French support in the stadium. Either that or the residents of Milton Keynes just bloody love La Marseillaise. It is brilliant, in fairness.
On the subject of on-pitch language, here’s Colin Webb: “Forty years ago I watched a British Army XV play the Berlin Police XV. As gentlemen, the Berliners spoke only English on the pitch!”
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Here we go. Four minutes until kick-off and the players are coming out.
Not yet kick-off and the Mexican Wave has already started in Milton Keynes. That's somehow apt. #FRAvCAN
— Martyn Thomas (@MCThomasSport) October 1, 2015
We have an answer to my tenuous question earlier:
@DanLucas86 for the record, it's almost 100% likely that only 1 player for Canada has *any* French & he's not among the 23 dressed today.
— Michael Boyle (@mikelbyl) October 1, 2015
Really? Even I speak a bit of it.
Bad news for Wales fans.
Bradley Davies has just gone past me in the mixed zone limping, with an ice pack strapped to his right ankle.
— Simon Thomas (@simonrug) October 1, 2015
So it’s a first ever Rugby World Cup match for Stadiummk. Having spent far too much of my youth in Milton Keynes, I can tell you this one’s a pain in the backside to get to, there are no pubs nearby and it’s essentially in the middle of a car park, yet is pretty bad for parking too. Still, the place can hold an atmosphere: Northampton’s Heineken Cup quarter-final and semi-final wins over Ulster and Perpignan respectively in 2011 were excellent, and I’m told it sounded great for MK Dons’ hilarious 4-0 victory against Manchester United last season. Although everything about that match sounds great, in fairness, aside from the words “MK Dons win”.
In case you missed it earlier, Wales beat Fiji in one of the most free-flowing, entertaining games you’ll see this year.
I have a Fiji shirt, and regularly get called a rugby hipster (me and Michael Cheika are the only ones) when I wear it. This, though, is why I love them.
Let free-flowing Fiji entertain you #rugbydistilled @glaceau_sw https://t.co/jzlFR4DYkl
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 1, 2015
A conversation with my colleague Tom Bryant raises a question: if you’re Canada, what language are your lineout calls in? English, presumably, just to ever so ever so slightly reduce the chances of France cracking them.
I’m struggling for talking points.
Preamble
Evening, folks. The heat is on, on the street. Inside your head, on every beat. And the beat’s so loud, deep inside, the pressure’s high, just to stay alive, ‘cause the heat is on. Oh woo oh ho, oh woo oh ho, caught up in the action I’ve been looking out for you. Oh woo oh ho, oh woo oh ho. Tell me can you feel it? Tell me can you feel it? Tell me can you feel it? The heat is on.
Personally, I think Glenn Frey may have been overselling it a bit with his analysis of a third-round pool match 31 years in the future. The heat is on France, but it’s probably no more intense than that of a very satisfying bath.
With Italy useless and Romania and Canada not at a challenging level, Pool D is, as we expected, a straight fight between France and Ireland to avoid the All Blacks in the second round. Ireland are currently ahead, by a point, having picked up four-try bonus points in their two wins over Canada and Romania, so the pressure – such that it is – is on France to pick one up of their own in their final “easy” match of the tournament.
And that’s about it. We’re unlikely to learn much, if anything, else about France today. They’ve been the model of unspectacular competence so far and neither a massive thrashing nor a scrappy and unconvincing performance would be a surprise. Canada, who might be feeling downhearted after coming close to beating Italy but falling short, don’t have the defence to keep the French out, although in Nathan Hirayama, Ciaran Hearn and DTH van der Merwe they do have the backs to keep the defence on its toes. A bit.
France make 12 changes from the side that beat Romania, meaning this is near enough a full-strength team for them, with the Castres wing Remy Grosso – Yoann Huget’s replacement in the squad – making his Test debut and Wesley Fofana retaining his spot at 12 after getting through his comeback from injury in the last match.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST. That’s 9pm in Paris, 3pm in Toronto. Here are your teams:
France
Scott Spedding, Remy Grosso, Mathieu Bastareaud, Wesley Fofana, Brice Dulin, Frederic Michalak, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Eddy Ben Arous, Guilhem Guirado, Rabah Slimani, Pascal Pape, Yoann Maestri, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Bernard Le Roux, Damien Chouly.
Replacements: Benjamin Kayser, Vincent Debaty, Nicolas Mas, Yannick Nyanga, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Morgan Parra, Remi Tales, Alexandre Dumoulin.
Canada
Matt Evans, Phil MacKenzie, Ciaran Hearn, Nick Blevins, DTH van der Merwe, Nathan Hirayama, Phil Mack; Hubert Buydens, Aaron Carpenter, Doug Wooldridge, Brett Beukeboom, Jamie Cudmore, Kyle Gilmour, Richard Thorpe, Tyler Ardron (Captain).
Replacements: Ray Barkwill, Djustice Sears‐Duru, Andrew Tiedemann, Evan Olmstead, Nanyak Dala, Gordon McRorie, Harry Jones, Conor Trainor.
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