The match: 26-27
On the waterlogged pitch in Stellenbosch, the French under-20 team drowned. While they seemed to have gotten the better of New Zealand in their second group match, they were ultimately let down by their imprecision and indiscipline.
Trailing 11-0 at half-time, the Baby Blacks completely turned the tide. Firstly thanks to the speed of their three-quarters: Aki Tuivailala (45th, 11-7) and Stanley Solomon (53rd, 18-14). Then by pressing hard up front. Dylan Pledger scored after a reverse scrum (63rd, 18-19), and Manumaua Letiu collapsed in the in-goal area, well-placed behind a tractor maul (68th, 21-24).
Of course, the French team did not completely let go of the handle. Shaken in all directions in the second period, it knew how to respond so as not to completely lose its footing. Joé Quere Karaba on an interception (50th, 18-7) then Mathis Ferté at the end of the line (74th, 26-24) kept hope alive.
But the Bleuets made another mistake, unable to get out of their camp cleanly. And Rico Simpson passed the winning penalty, verified on video by the referee (80th + 1). After a few seconds of hesitation, it was indeed the Baby Blacks who were declared the winners of a confusing and terribly frustrating fight for Calvet’s gang.
The Bleuets are not eliminated yet. With this defensive bonus, they can still qualify for the semi-finals by hoping for favorable results on the other grounds and by filling up during their last match against Wales on Tuesday (4:30 p.m.). What is certain is that it will take more control and composure to hope to win a fourth world title in a row on July 19.
7
The Bleuets had not lost against New Zealand for seven years, and the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup in Tbilisi (26-39).
The player: Joé Quere Karaba everywhere at once
The Bleuets’ third-row was one of the few real satisfactions of the match lost against the Baby Blacks. He fought all four corners of the field, tackled with all his might, scored a try that should have put France out of the game on a brilliant inspiration (50th). He still needed the legs to sprint 60 meters towards the in-goal area.
He also caught an important ball under a kick-off from Hugo Reus (65th). The Toulon player can however blame himself for this last fault in a maul, while the French forwards were suffocating, which cost the last penalty (80th). One too many.
