What's happening
France - USA

October 31 Match

WHAT'S HAPPENING? (posted 1st November 2003)
France's second string team thumped the USA Eagles 41-14 at Win stadium in Wollongong last night despite being outweighed by the Eagles by 10 kg per man in the forward pack.

The huge win by France (again!) adds further tension to tonight's Australia/Ireland match as the loser will have to play France in a knockout quarter final next week. Boy I'm hoping the Wallabies win today :)

France's Gerald Merceron slotted two penalty tries early in the match to give his team a 6-0 lead, and in the fourteenth minute Liebenberg scored the first of a hat trick of tries - what a party this guy had on the paddock last night! It only took him three more minutes to score his second try and the French were up 18-0. Another try for France, from Dimitri Yachvili sent the boys to the sheds with a half time lead 26-0. Yikes!

The Eagles hadn't given up the ghost though and came out blasting in the second half, and they bunged on a couple of quick tries - Kort Schubert crossing first, and then Mike Hercus also went over for the Eagles. Hercus kicked both conversions and at 26-14 the scoreline didn't look so bad.

But that was as close as the game was going to get - the French weren't about to concede any more points to the Eagles and Leibenberg got his third try for the night before their stand-in captain Yannick Bru went over the tryline to put France in the lead 38-14. Dmitri Yachvili popped a field goal to increase France's score to 41 where it would remain until full time.

The Eagles had a good game and they tried gallantly throughout the match, but the French simply outplayed them - all over the place. France will play either Australia or Ireland next Sunday in Melbourne. Pleeeeeeeeeease let them be playing Ireland :))