FRANCE 28 SOUTH AFRICA 29
Hats off to World Rugby then. Two great semi-finals. Sorry, two great quarter-finals. The ridiculously premature and lop-sided draw may well ensure two eminently predictable semi-finals but, as expected, it led to two contenders for the greatest World Cup quarter-finals ever.
In Saturday night’s belter between the All Blacks and Ireland, the sides shared three tries apiece over the course of the match. Here in this blockbuster, the hosts and the holders exchanged three tries in a rat-a-tat opening 31 minutes alone.
[ Irish hordes leave Paris in disbelief it ended like thisOpens in new window ]
They couldn’t possibly sustain that ridiculously entertaining standard thereafter, but a thunderous occasion and contest never lost its fury, nor could you take your eyes off it for a second as they traded ferocious carries, hits and ambition.
Les Bleus are adored in their own country and, no less than Ireland, died with their boots on. In uncanny echoes of the previous night at the same venue, France dug deep into their reserves of character and fitness to launch one final assault from deep but to no avail.
Only a mediocre England team will represent Europe in Le Mondial when playing South Africa here next Saturday, a day after the All Blacks meet Argentina, with the seeming inevitability of the two most decorated and entitled rugby powers meeting in the final.
Whereas they had been afflicted by nerves and their own tactical shackles on opening night before resoundingly beating the All Blacks in the second half, La Marseillaise and Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika had barely subsided before the French stormed out of the blocks.
Dupont was the beating heart of their opening salvo, his right-footed dink over the top for Matthieu Jalibert to reclaim and his left-footed crosskick for Louis Bielle-Biarrey was only denied a try by Kurt-Lee Arendse’s desperate defending.
But they were to be ahead within four minutes anyway, a catch-and-drive motoring toward the ‘Boks’ line before quick hands by Dupont and Damian Penaud put Cyril Baille in the corner to a thunderous roar.
After a burst up the middle by Jonathan Danty, only the flailing arm of Eben Etzebeth, who managed to knock ball down and backwards and thus avoided giving away a penalty for a deliberate konck, denied Bielle-Biarrey a second French try inside six minutes. Instead, also setting a tone for the night, Etzebeth contested a box kick by Cobus Reinach which broke off Gael Fickou for Arendse to break clear and score in the corner. As Ramos had done, Manie Libbok nailed the touchline conversion, and when the latter went to the air, Cameron Woki couldn’t deal with the bomb as this time the ball broke for Damian de Allende. He was hauled down short but one ruck later took Reinach’s pass to score.
Back came France, launching their big carriers with Dupont pulling the strings. His strength denied Siya Kolisi a turnover before Steven Kitshoff went off his feet, Dupont tapping and charging toward the line before putting Peato Mauvaka over in the corner.
But Etzebeth soon hounded Dupont into a loose pass which Baille failed to scoop to a teammate. Pieter-Steph Du Toit latched onto the ball and Jesse Kriel grubbered into space for Cheslin Kolbe to finish in a flash. It had been mostly France, but just three chances led to three tries for South Africa. These ‘Boks were as ruthless as the All Blacks, but no less than Ireland, Les Bleus were not of a mind to die wondering.
Dupont’s perfect blindside grubber and Penaud’s chase and tackle on Reinach earned an attacking lineout. Mauvaka was launched infield off it, and two rucks later Baille burrowed over for his second, Ramos’ conversion drawing the sides level for a third time.
A breathless first half finished with Etzebeth catching Uini Atonio head-on-jaw but he was stooping and the yellow card seemed fair before he apologised to the French prop. Ramos ended the half by knocking over the penalty for a deserved lead.
The ‘Boks survived the post-interval storm with 14 men despite some inventive play by Dupont and Jalibert - and huge carries by Anthony Jelonch - thanks mainly to their breakdown work before Ramos landed a scrum penalty
Cue a ‘Boks storm, as Woki and Mauvaka combined for a vital turnover penalty, only for Jalibert to skew it. Not long after, the ‘Boks went to the corner with a scrum penalty. But the magnificent Charles Ollivon picked it off and Willie le Roux’s knock-on felt pivotal.
Instead though, Kriel broke clear from deep and had Handre Pollard in support, De Allende then kicking ahead and chasing down Dupont for Kwagga Smith to win the penalty. From Bongi Mbonambi’s tap, Etzebeth ploughed over and Pollard’s conversion edged the ‘Boks in front.
Smith won another penalty in the jackal on halfway which Pollard landed to make it a four-point lead, but Jalibert sped onto and caught a lovely chip on the full before Faf de Klerk cynically played the next phase offside. Ramos’ penalty brought it back to a point with eight minutes left.
Alas for Ramos, his 22 metre restart after a cheeky Kolbe drop-goal drifted wide went out on the full. France did manage to work Penaud free along the right touchline, and he had one more gallop as the clock went red, before one final strip by de Klerk enabled Arendse to kick the ball dead.
And with that, a little of the World Cup will have died in the host country too.
Scoring sequence: 4 mins Baille try, Ramos con 7-0; 8 mins Arendse try, Libbok con 7-7; 18 mins de Allende try 12-12; 27 mins Kolbe try, Libbok con 12-19; 31 mins Baille try, Ramos con 19-19; 40 (+1) mins Ramos pen 22-19; (half-time 22-19); 54 mins Ramos pen 25-19; 67 mins Etzebeth try, Pollard conversion 25-26; 69 mins Pollard penalty 25-29; 72 mins Ramos penalty 28-29.
FRANCE: Thomas Ramos; Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Dupont (captain); Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio; Cameron Woki, Thibaud Flament; Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt. Replacements: Reda Wardi for Baille, Romain Taofifenua for Flament (both 50 mins), Francois Cros for Jelonch (51 mins), Dorian Aldegheri for Atonio (58 mins), Pierre Bourgarit for Mauvaka (64 mins), Sekou Macalou for Alldritt (69 mins), Yoram Moefana for Jalibert (75 mins). Not used: Maxime Lucu.
SOUTH AFRICA: Damian Willemse; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe; Manie Libbok, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Mbongeni Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Duane Vermeulen. Replacements: RG Snyman for Mostert, Faf de Klerk for Reinach, Handre Pollard for Libbok, (all 45 mins), Deon Fourie for Kolisi (46 mins), Ox Nche for Kitshoff, Kwagga Smith for Vermeulen, Willie Le Roux (all 51 mins), Vermeulen for du Toit (61-75 mins), du Toit for Mbonambi (75 mins), Vincent Koch for Malherbe (63 mins). Sinbinned: Etzebeth (40-50 mins).
Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand).
