France put on a dominant show as they burst Namibia 96-0, with Damian Penaud scoring a hat-trick of tries, setting a new record score, and holding their excellent start in the Rugby World Cup. Head coach Fabien Galthie made notable changes to the lineup after a hard-fought victory over Uruguay, which contrasted with their outstanding performance against three-time world champions New Zealand in the tournament’s opening match. However, the French team was dealt a blow as their captain, Antoine Dupont, had to leave the field due to a serious facial injury during the Marseille match.
France wasted no time establishing an offensive as a crossfield kick from Dupont, who reverted as the team’s captain, found Penaud, resulting in a try in the right corner in the seventh minute. Their excellence continued as Jonathan Danty scored after an incredible inside pass from Louis Bielle-Biarrey, tracked by a quick break down the right wing that permitted flanker Charles Ollivon to score. Penaud showed his skills again, acquiring a bonus-point try within just 22 minutes, with Thomas Ramos modifying it.
The opening half showed the excellence of Antoine Dupont and his diligent teamwork with Matthieu Jalibert. Their rugby play reached superb levels, with Dupont directing cross-field tries using both his left and right feet to provide the striker. However, the outstanding try of the half extended on the right flank, where Dupont and Jalibert’s continuous teamwork displayed complex passes, incredible moves, and excellent vision, eventually resulting in a sensational try scored by Ollivon. Scrum-half Dupont added another try himself before having a superb angled kick-on-the-run that let Bielle-Biarrey set into the left corner. France entered halftime with a dominating 54-0 lead.
Namibia, which had disclosed 18 tries in their previous two Pool A matches, thought they had scored when replacement Divan Rossouw ran clear after an intercept. However, the try was denied by the TMO due to an incident involving Johan Deysel and Dupont during the build-up. Welwitschias captain Deysel received a yellow card and was sent to the sin-bin for a head-on-head call with Dupont, who left the field for a potential jawbone injury. According to a dugout review, Diesel’s card was upgraded to red. Baptiste Couilloud, a reserve player, wasted no time, scoring from an attack as France extended their lead. Although Couilloud seemed to score another breakaway try after an interception, it was ruled out due to a late off-the-ball tackle by French prop Reda Wardi.
If we take a look at the records of this incredible match we see that France gained several outstanding records tonight. They secured their highest-ever win in Test rugby history, overreaching their 87-0 success against the same opponent back in 2007. Likewise, Damian Penaud made history by scoring in his sixth consecutive Test match, establishing a new French record. At the same time, Thomas Ramos became France’s dominant points scorer in a single season, a record he is likely to develop in the coming weeks.
Captain Charles Ollivon also left his mark by breaking the scoring record for a French forward. He notched his 15th try in just 37 Tests, beating Imanol Harinordoquy, who took 45 more Tests to score 13 tries. Ollivon’s amazing triumph places him as the most abundant forward in Test rugby history, with a try every 2.4 Tests – a rate even better than elite centers like Brian O’Driscoll and Ma’a Nonu, not to refer to other back-row forwards.
Additionally, Damian Penaud confirmed his 35th try tonight in his 47th Test appearance, beating Vincent Clerc to become the second-highest try scorer in France’s history. Only Serge Blanco, with 38 tires in 93 Tests, remains ahead of him. It appears almost certain that Penaud will claim that title within this World Cup cycle, marking a truly remarkable achievement.
In the game’s last moments, France was given a penalty try after an attacking clash, and Jason Benade was sent to the sin-bin, combining an unexciting evening for Namibia. The partial crowd in Marseille celebrated as the final whistle blew.
