Rugby Update: Wallabies Thrash Les Bleus 59-16
The Les Bleus suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Australians yesterday, at the Stade de France, in Paris. They had fought the battle hard in the first-half of the game and had been on-par with the Wallabies. However they were pummeled in the second-half, in which the Wallabies managed to score a total of 46 points in 30 minutes. They successfully delivered the French their fifth defeat. French captain, Thierry Dusautoir stated
“We were completely outplayed in the second half; we did not even exist.We lost our coordination little by little and gave away space. We were dominated. And they managed to take us out of position on the wings."
The Wallabies however were ecstatic over their victory. This match was a momentous occasion for them, since they managed to beat their own previous record, of the highest points scored against the French in June 1990. They played an impressive game, with continuous passing from all corners of the field and managed 7 tries, of which, 3 were by winger Drew Mitchell. James O'Connor also pulled his weight in the team and ended the night with an amazing 6 conversions, 29 points and 4 penalty goals. He also managed to achieve, the title of being Australia's number one goal-kicker, by missing only two goals out of the total 12 he attempted.
The Wallabies, outside-centre, Adan Ashley Cooper, also played an exceptional game. In the first-half, the outcome of the game seemed somewhat uncertain, as the French seemed to be very much in control, while the Wallabies seemed more likely to crack. However Adan Cooper managed to hold them together by scoring the first try of the game and then making endless charges at the line, to keep the Wallabies level with the French at 13-13. He played an exceptionally active game even in the second half. Kurtley Beale was another player to watch yesterday night, as he completely baffled the French defense on numerous occasions, while doing some amazing kicking. Berrick Barnes meanwhile gave the best defense amongst the Wallabies. Since the French were playing the match on home ground, more than 80,000 fans from all over the country flocked the stadium to watch them play. However, the night ended by distraught French fans, booing their team off the field. A much repeated comment heard, from the French fans, was about the constant chopping and changing of the French team. However, it was more disturbing that the French, simply collapsed, once the Australians began to take the lead and attack. This is not a novel occurrence. The French similarly lost their spirit on one more occasion, where they lost their lead in the match against the All Blacks, in Marseille, last year and also in the match against the Springboks, this June. If they continue to give up on themselves midway in the game, they are quite likely to get another thrashing in the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011.
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