Another fabulous match to reinforce the impression that international rugby is moving in the right direction. We are still not far enough down the road for something like Japan’s win over South Africa to happen anything like regularly, but here was another of the so-called tier one nations required to play to the bitter end by one from tier two.
What would these teams be capable of with games like this on a regular basis? Gareth Rees, Canada’s team manager and most celebrated player, was quick to make the point afterwards. “Canada’s back,” he said. “We play a fantastic brand of rugby, and we’d love more fixtures like this.”
It was a bold performance indeed from Canada, pulling back to within five and six points either side of half-time. And all this in the face of one of the toughest schedules anyone has to meet at this World Cup, this game only five days after their unlucky defeat to Italy with a crucial match to come against Romania in another five days again. “We have picked up four or five major injuries,” said Kieran Crowley, their coach. “We have to play three games in 11 days. You wouldn’t ask France or Ireland to do that.”
Indeed. One losing bonus point is paltry reward for them from their last two games. They should have beaten Italy on Saturday. Here, France had too much for them, of course, but les Bleus had to resort to the more brutal arts – the ones so much harder for teams like Canada to deny – to secure their win, which was not totally safe until 13 minutes from time. Tries two, three and four of their five were scored by forwards practising their tight arts. France knew they had been in a game.
Barring a freakish set of results they are certain to qualify for the quarter-finals and now march on to the anticipated showdown with Ireland to see who gets to avoid New Zealand. They are not dazzling, but moving ominously. We have yet to see any of the wild fluctuations in form that have characterised previous campaigns. They seem in control of themselves.
Frédéric Michalak’s mesmerising footwork set them on their way, taking him past four Canadian defenders in the fourth minute, and he slipped a pass out of the back of his hand for Wesley Fofana to finish. By the half-hour, their lead had stretched to 17, a penalty from a devastating scrum preceding a mauled try for Guilhem Guirado. Canada lost Tyler Ardron, their captain, at the end of the first quarter – just the sort of physical specimen they needed in the face of this onslaught. So they upped the pace instead, running France ragged, just as they had Italy. Two fine tries followed in the space of five minutes.
DTH van der Merwe is turning into one of the stars of the tournament, and his finish after a superb move straight from the restart of France’s second was worthy of his burgeoning reputation. As if that were not enough, Canada were off again down the left through Nanyak Dala, Ardron’s replacement, and a couple of phases later Aaron Carpenter was burrowing over – 17-12 all of a sudden.
Rabah Slimani finished the half’s scoring from a driven lineout to establish France a 12-point lead at the break, but two Nathan Hirayama penalties pulled Canada back to within six in the third quarter, only for Michalak to reply in kind on the hour mark.
Canada’s defence was heroic as France pursued the bonus point, but it could not last. Pascal Papé eventually dotted down in the 67th minute. Mission accomplished. Rémy Grosso’s try on his international debut added just that little sheen to the scoreline.
France are on course, and no one will relish facing them. Tier one rugby is looking healthier than ever. What price the Canadas of this world joining them one day?
France: Spedding; Grosso, Bastareaud (Dumoulin, 70), Fofana, Dulin; Michalak (Talès, 68), Tillous-Borde (Parra, 59); Ben Arous (Debaty, 59), Guirado (Kayser, 59), Slimani (Mas, 62), Papé, Maestri, Dusautoir (capt), Le Roux (Nyanga, 68), Chouly (Ouedraogo, 73)
Tries Fofana, Guirado, Slimani, Papé, Grosso. Cons Michalak 4, Parra. Pen Michalak 2.
Canada Evans (Jones, 37-Trainor, 63); P Mackenzie (Jones, 68), Hearn, Blevins, Van der Merwe; Hirayama, Mack; Buydens (Sears-Duru, 48), Carpenter (Olmstead, 61), Wooldridge (Tiedermann, 68), Beukeboom, Cudmore, Gilmour, Thorpe (Barkwill, 48), Ardron (capt; Dala, 19)
Tries Van der Merwe, Carpenter. Con Hirayama. Pen Hirayama 2. Sin-bin: Dala 72.
Referee JP Doyle (Ireland). Attendance 28,145.
- This article has been amended to reflect that France have not yet qualified for the quarter-finals. The original stated that they had become the first team to reach the last eight.
