French Rugby Back To Best

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30711, 29 March 1965, Page 3

French Rugby Back To Best

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter — Copyright) PARIS, March 27. France today beat Wales, the international champions, by an overwhelming 22 points to 13 in the last match of the five-nations Rugby Union tournament. They dashed Welsh hopes of being the first country since 1957 to win all four games in one season. France led by 19 points to 0 at half-time. Wales had already clinched the tournament before today's match. The French were superior in every department of the game. Their forwards in particular were back to the old devastating form which brought them victory in South Africa. In the loose they were always dominant. The Boniface brothers, Guy

and Andre, in the centre-three-quarters positions, were in sparkling form and the Welsh defence had no answer to their tricky, penetrating runs.

The Welsh three-quarters, except for rare flashes, never looked as if they could break the French defence.

The French began sensationally when Andre Herrero charged down a Clive Rowlands clearance and dived over for a try in the third minute. The full-back, P. Dedieu, kicked the goal. This early success established the pattern of play and the French never looked back.

Throughout the first half, apart from sporadic Welsh forays, all the play came from the French and they gained a second goal from a try, a dropped-kicked penalty goal and two tries for a commanding half-time lead. After the scrum half, J. Lasserre, had put France still further ahead with a dropped

goal three minutes after the resumption, the Welsh turned on desperate pressure. J. Dawes scored the first try when, after a penalty to Wales and a kick ahead by a Welsh three-quarters, he raced after the ball and went over in the right corner. T. Price did well to kick the goal. The Welsh began to look better in patches and D. Bebb sewed a second try after S. Watkins had taken a quick line-out throw and lobbed the ball into Bebb’s hands. He had only to dive over to score. Price again converted. In the closing stages, as Welsh pressure mounted, play became scrappy and there were several punching and kicking incidents. Finally. Watkins made the score a little more respectable for Wales when he went over for a fine try after a Welsh forward had intercepted a French passing movement. Price missed the kick.

The Irish referee, Mr R. Gilliland, had to leave the field after 33 minutes with a pulled muscle in his left leg. After a delay of about 10 minutes, he was replaced by the French international referee, Mr B. Marie, of Paris. It was the first time a Frenchman had refereed a fivenations tournament match. French scorers in the first half were Herrero (two tries), G. Boniface (two tries), and Dedieu (a dropped penalty goal and two conversions). DISAPPOINTED After the match, C. Rowlands, the Welsh captain, said: “We are disappointed not to have won the game as we were all out to try to achieve four victories, but France was the better team.” There were scenes of great joy in the French dressing room and a selector said: “This is the kind of form we like to see the French team produce."