Try by Sella inspired France to win

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 21

Try by Sella inspired France to win

NZPA-Reuter London The French centre, Phillipe Sella, intercepted a pass and sprinted 60 metres for a try which inspired France to a 19-15 win over England on Saturday in a Five Nations match brimming with passion and commitment. Sella, the player of the championship last year, broke a 12-12 deadlock midway through the second half when he intercepted the ball inside his own half and accelerated through the startled England defence. He swerved past the full-back, Marcus Rose, and sprinted the remaining 20 metres for a memorable try which was greeted with an equal mixture of joy and relief by his delighted teammates.

France, trailing 12-3 at half-time to a rejuvenated England side, clawed back to 12-6, through a dropped goal by fullback Serge Blanco. They then equalised when the dynamic flanker, Erik Shamp, exploded through the middle of the English defence to set up a try for the left-wing, Erik Bonneval.

England, beaten but far from disgraced thanks to a magnificent forward effort spearheaded by the giant locks, Wade Dooley and Steve Bainbridge, scored their points through four penalties from Rose and a dropped goal by the fly-half, Rob Andrew, France’s other scorers were the right-wing, Phillipe Berot, who kicked a penalty and a conversion, and fly-half, Frank

Mesnel, with a dropped goal. The Scottish referee, Jim Fleming, penalised France four times in the opening 12 minutes and Rose was successful with three out of three goal attempts from distances ranging between 35 and 40 metres. But to its credit France did not lose its self control and was rewarded when Mesnel dropped the simplest of goals from 20 metres after a brief spell of intense pressure near the England line. England surged back and its talented left-wing, Rory Underwood, almost slipped past Berot. England won the scrum and Andrew scrambled a dropped goal which gave England a healthy halftime lead. England was unrecognisable from the side which played so dismally in losing, 17-0, to Ireland a fortnight ago. Dooley and Bainbridge switched positions continually in the line-outs, forcing France to revert to two-man line-outs, and the reshuffled back row of Peter Winterbottom, Gary Rees and John Hall was. also a success. Scorers: England: Penalties, Marcus Rose 4. Drop goal, Rob Andrew. France: Tries, Erik Bonneval, Phillipe Sella. Penalty, Phillipe Berot. Conversion, Berpt. Drop goals, Frank Mesnel, Serge Blanco. • In Edinburgh the Joint Five Nations champion Scotland, opened its 1987 campaign with a 1612 victory over Ireland at

Murrayfield on Saturday. Tries by Roy Laidlaw and Iwan Tukalo, two drop goals by the fly-half, John Rutherford, and a conversion from Gavin Hastings gave Scotland victory against Ireland’s goal, drop goal and penalty. Both teams tried to play an open game in perfect conditions but it was the Scottish backs who managed to string their passes together. The hosts spent most of the first 20 minutes in Ireland’s half and Rutherford dropped two goals to give them an early lead. But on a rare visit into Scottish territory the Irish forwards burst away from a line-out and the captain, Donal Lenihan, crashed over. The Irish centre, Michael Kiernan, converted and dropped a goal to give Ireland the lead. But Scotland always looked on top in the loose forward play and its backs were menacing throughout. The scrum-half, Laidlaw, sneaked round them all five metres out to score in the first half and the left winger, Tukalo, tiptoed over in the second half after Rutherford had kicked ahead. Ireland rallied at the end and an injury time penalty by Kiernan — he had missed five previous attempts — narrowed the gap. Scorers: Scotland: Tries, Roy Laidlaw, Iwan Tukalo. Conversion, Gavin Hastings. Drop goals, John Rutherford 2. Ireland: Try, Donal Lenihan. . Conversion, Michael Kiernan. Drop goal, Kiernan. Penalty, Kiernan.