French rugby coach seeks much better performance

Press, 12 June 1989, Page 21

French rugby coach seeks much better performance

PA Palmerston North The coach, Jacques Fouroux, will be seeking a much-improved performance from his French rugby team against Southland after the tourists’ last-minute 28-23 win over Manawatu in Palmerston North on Saturday.

France faces Southland in Invercargill tomorrow in its last outing before the first test in Christchurch next Saturday. The narrow victory over a gutsy second division Manawatu followed a stuttering 24-21 result against Counties in ’ the tour opener last Wednesday.

“We respected the All Blacks before we arrived, but now we fear them,” Fouroux said.

“If we play the same way on Tuesday, there will be no euphoria.”

Fouroux said he was most disappointed by his players’ lapses of concentration, which allowed mistakes to creep in. The match, played in intermittent rain on a soft showgrounds oval, was a generally scrappy affair. In the end, the French needed a piece of individual opportunism by the new flyhalf, Jean-Marc Lescure, to beat a Manawatu side looking for back-to-back upsets after its 32-15 win over Wellington on Queen’s Birthday.

With only 20sec showing on the scoreboard clock and his team down by a point, Lescure got the ball from a scrum

deep inside Manawatu territory. He dummied, sliced through the gap that opened up and crossed between the posts for his second try of the day. It was not, however, a convincing performance by the tourists. Their experimental XV was often put on the back foot by Manawatu’s crosskick and chase tactics.

Those tactics paid dividends early in the second half when winger Josef Schmidt beat his marker, Jean-Baptiste Lafond, to the touchdown to tie the scores at 16-16.

Manawatu, with a smaller and lighter pack, tried to play at pace, and on one prominent occasion caught the visitors napping.

As the injured No.B, Thierry Devergie, was being taken off Bmin before the interval, the Manawatu hooker, Danny Morrison, scored after getting the ball back from his own quick throw-in from touch.

He had no opposition on his run to the line, as most of the French players were still milling in the middle of the 22.

The’ French were also surprisingly beaten 20-11 in the lineouts, an area* their tall forwards had been expected to dominate.

Instead, the Manawatu captain, Kevin Schuler, and the lock, Tim McManaway, secured a lot of possession.

With lOmin to go, the No.B, Kerry Whale, chimed in with a crucial take just outside the French goal-line. He made a dab, was held up, but laid the ball back to the flanker, John Cruden, to score and put the home side 23-22 ahead.

The French showed little of their renowned enterprising back play, preferring to drive from the scrums and mauls, or kicking ahead through Lescure.

Scorers. — France 28 (Jean-Marc Lescure 2, Pascal B'eraud tries; Philippe Berot 3 penalties, conversion; Jean-Baptiste Lafond, conversion; Lescure field goal) Manawatu 23 (Danny Morrison, Josef Schmidt, John Cruden tries; Glynn Champion 3 penalties, conversion). Half-time: France led 1612.