Sep 17, 2007, 1:05 GMT
Paris - Hosts France rejoined the list of title favourites Sunday after crushing Namibia 87-10 in a Rugby World Cup match played in Toulouse.
Roundly criticized after their opening-game loss to Argentina, the French overcame early nerves to rout the Africans, who had to play the last 60 minutes under strength after flanker Jacques Nieuwenhuis was shown a red card for a dangerously high tackle.
It was France's most lopsided win ever in international play, eclipsing their 77-10 win over Fiji in 2001.
France coach Bernard Laporte was delighted with the victory.
'It's a pleasure to see the players happy again,' he said. 'It was good to see the players tackling, taking risks and playing rugby with a smile on their faces. Everything went smoothly, but in all honesty the red card made everything a lot easier.'
Laporte had benched 12 of the 15 players who started in the 17-12 defeat to the Argentines on September 7, instead packing the side with players from the Toulouse rugby team to take advantage of the home crowd.
That proved superfluous after Nieuwenhuis was shown the gate for applying his forearm to the throat and jaw of lock Sebastien Chabal in the 19th minute, with the score 12-3 for France.
Less than a minute later, the Bleues had their third try as Thierry Dusautoir touched down after the French muscled the ball across the line. France scored three more first-half tries, two by lock Lionel Nallet, and left the field at the whistle leading 40-3.
The second half was academic, as the game but undermanned Namibians were soon exhausted from chasing after the quicker French, who went on to score a total of 13 tries in the match, three by wing Vincent Clerc and two by Chabal.
Man of the Match Jean-Baptiste Elissalde converted 11 of the tries and scored one himself to notch 27 points for the night.
The Namibians were rewarded for their courage when wing Bratley Langenhoven intercepted an errant pass and scampered 60 metres for the try in the final minute.
France now lie third in Pool D on six points, behind Argentina and Ireland, who each have nine. Georgia are fourth with one point, and Namibia, who gave the Irish a scare before losing 32-17 on September 9, are last in the group with no points.
In a game played earlier Sunday in Montpellier, Tonga upset Pacific Island neighbours Samoa 19-15 in a Pool A match.
Samoa, ranked 10th in the world, were expected to beat a team that was ranked 14th and which they had beaten four consecutive times. They began well enough, with four penalties from Gavin Williams to two from Pierre Hola, giving them a 12-6 half-time lead.
But Epi Taione's try after the break, the only try of the match, helped Tonga fight back to take a 19-12 lead. A fifth Williams penalty gave Samoa hope, but Tonga held on to win despite losing two men on late fouls.
Tonga coach Quddus Fielea called the victory 'one of the tops. To have won two games in the World Cup is a major achievement.'
Tonga beat the United States 25-15 on Wednesday.
Asked how his team managed to defend with only 13 men at the end, Fielea replied, 'We had a big prayer this morning before our game, and that's probably the secret.'
The win keeps Tonga second in the pool with eight points, behind South Africa who have nine.
England are third in the pool, while Samoa go above the United States into fourth place thanks to a bonus point for losing by fewer than eight points.
Meanwhile Fiji kept on course for a place in the quarter-finals with a 29-16 win over Canada in a Pool B game in Cardiff, Wales.
Two tries from Kameli Ratuvou and one apiece from Kele Leawere and Vilimoni Delasau helped Fiji to the victory, which moves them level on 10 points with leaders Australia but trailing on points difference, with Wales third, Japan fourth and Canada last in the pool.
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