'It's been a few years since England made such an impact' - France confident for Le Crunch fixture
France delivered another less-than-impressive performance in their latest World Cup win, a 23-21 over a fast-finishing Tonga side, setting up a final pool clash against old rivals England.
Jacques Brunel's side has come under fire for lacklustre displays against the lesser-knowns after coming away with a first-up win over Argentina. However, after the Los Pumas' 14-man defeat to England and the win over Tonga, France have secured a quarterfinal spot without the Le Crunch fixture playing a part.
"We did what we had to do with the win. We knew qualification was the primary goal, and it's done," flyhalf Romain Ntamack said following the win.
Continue reading below...
"It was difficult for a while, and it became a tough match. The Tongans clung on right to the end. There are things to fix but we'll take the win."
"I'm not saying we were scared because we were in control. Tonga came back in the end, but we were never in danger. For me, the score doesn't reflect the nature of the game."
France will know that this kind of performance will not be up to scratch against a powerful England side who dispatched them 44-8 at Twickenham earlier this year in the Six Nations. The French were awful in kick coverage that day as England picked apart a feeble back three with an aerial assault.
"It's a game that matters," the Toulouse-utility back said of the England fixture.
"We will be facing a better team. We will try and respond, to play our own game. It's been a few years since England made such an impact. They'll want to reassert that."
This time around the result will decide who tops Pool C, with France keen on showing improvement ahead of the knockout stages. Ntamack says the side needs to be more patient to avoid making the same errors.
"We know there's no consistency. We can't play a full game from the first to the 80th minute. It didn't happen today. We need to be more patient. We must work on not making the same old errors," he said.
Elusive halfback Antoine Dupont is excited about facing England without the fear of elimination which will allow the side to test themselves ahead of the finals.
"We are in the quarter-finals, and before that, a big game awaits us against England. We can measure ourselves against one of the best teams in the world without having to worry about qualification. It's always a good test," he said.
"We're going to concentrate on our own rugby. We're not going to speculate: after the pool phase there is no good draw. There are only the big teams left."
Dupont also was not worried about the performance against Tonga, saying the side 'were never in real trouble' but missed the control they needed to be more comfortable.
"There are a few things to look at. We could have killed the game off sooner. But we've qualified. Not many people believed in us. We can be happy with that for now."
England coach Eddie Jones following win over Argentina:
Latest Comments
REACH OUT TO TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY FOR A GREAT JOB
WhatsApp +15617263697
Fine wine and crypto do not always blend well, especially after a few drinks. I learned this the hard way after a record harvest at my vineyard. Swirling an old Cabernet under the stars, I was a financial connoisseur, my $720,000 Bitcoin wallet aging well for future returns. But the next morning, with a hangover as intense as my Merlion, I realized I'd forgotten my wallet password. Even worse, my recovery phrase, which I'd written down in my wine cellar notebook, had vanished. My eager new assistant had tidied up, mistaking my scribbled security notes for wine tasting spillage, and donated the entire book to the recycling gods. I dove into the garbage cans like a desperate sommelier searching for a quality grape but came up with broken dreams and soggy cardboard. Panic set in faster than cork taint. I faced the bitter truth: my digital fortune was bottled up tighter than a corked bottle with no opener. I sank into denial, questioning whether my future vineyard expansion would now be reduced to selling boxed wine. I panicked, pored over industry publications, and came across a wine industry newsletter that mentioned Tech Cyber Force Recovery. Their slogan, something playful about "decanting lost crypto," seemed like a sign from God. I contacted them, half-expecting snobbery or skepticism. What I received instead were tech wizards who tackled my case with humor and precision. Their team labored over my case like veteran sommeliers dissecting terroir. They painstakingly reconstructed transaction flows, timestamp records, and subtle wallet behavior. It was as if I was watching wine connoisseurs sniff out hints of blackcurrant and oak, but with algorithms and blockchain forensics. Each day, they provided updates with the finesse of tasting notes. “We’re detecting progress, notes of potential access, hints of password recovery on the finish.” Their creativity lightened my anxiety, and ten days later, they uncorked my digital vault. When I saw my Bitcoin balance restored, I nearly opened a bottle of my best vintage at 9 AM. My assistant and I shared a hearty laugh; he's still working for me, but now he labels my ledgers with "DO NOT TOUCH" in bold. My wine business is thriving thanks to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, and I have a new rule: passwords before Pinot. Cheers to their genius!
Go to commentsWe have to move on from last week. The team did. Chay Fihaki is playing great.Noah Hotham and outside him TahaKemara , fantastic. Tom Christie , the ultimate unsung hero, as Matt Todd was.Crisian Lio-Willie andAntonio Shalfoon , returned and showed what we missed last week.
Go to comments