France hit a woeful Japan for eight tries in an emphatic 52-12 autumn series win on their Stade de France return on Saturday following last year’s World Cup on home soil, gearing up in style for next weekend’s clash with New Zealand.
Man of the match Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Paul Boudehent bagged two tries each while Emilien Gailleton, Alexandre Roumat, Peato Mauvaka and Jean-Baptiste Gros also touched down and Thomas Ramos converted six of them to seal France’s biggest win against Japan in an official test.
Japan, who reached halftime 31-0 adrift, mustered two tries through Harumichi Tatewaka and Tevita Tatafu after the break with Naoto Saito converted one as they suffered their fifth consecutive loss since Eddie Jones took over again at the end of last year.
Fabien Galthie’s France side were also welcoming back mercurial scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who missed the Six Nations to prepare for the Paris Olympics with the Rugby Sevens team, with whom he won gold.
Back at the Stade de France for the first time since losing 29-28 to South Africa in the World Cup quarter-finals, they gave the crowd what they came for on a chilly night in the French capital with Dupont manoeuvring finely.
In a one-sided first half, they showed Jones, who vows to make Japan a top-four side, that the way into the elite would be a long process under the Australian’s guidance.
France will now need to take it up a notch as the All Blacks clash looms.
“They beat Japan, England and Ireland, quite convincingly,” Galthie told a press conference.
“They’re finishing their season very strongly. They’re back to their very best, on a very big momentum, and they’re back to Paris after being in the World Cup final here in Paris.”
New Zealand lost 12-11 to South Africa in last year’s final.
On Saturday, the 19-year-old Theo Attissogbe, who was voted last year’s most improving player in the French Top 14, replaced Damian Penaud after the winger fell ill.
France went ahead with a Bielle-Biarrey try after he beat fullback Malo Tuitama to the ball to collect his own grazing kick.
Gailleton added another after collecting a clever cross-kick from Ramos, who converted to put France 12-0 up after 10 minutes.
Another low kick by Bielle-Biarrey caused the Japan defence some torment and Roumat touched down while Les Bleus were barely bothered by their opponents.
France’s fourth try came from the left flank again as Bielle-Biarrey dived over at the end of a nice combination with Yoram Moefana after Dupont’s cross-kick unsettled Japan.
The fifth was scored on the right flank, for a change, by Mauvaka after being set up by Dupont, who was given way too much freedom to organise France’s game.
The sixth try came two minutes into the second half as Gros, also set up by Dupont, powered through the Japanese defence.
Japan briefly showed what they are capable of when they reduced the arrears through Tatekawa after some nice collective play.
A brutal run by Dupont paved the way for the seventh French try, scored by lock Boudehent, who replaced the injured Thibaud Flament in the first half.
After Galthie made five changes, with Ramos switching from flyhalf to fullback when Matthieu Jalibert replaced Leo Barre, Japan made the most of France’s disorganisation to get another try through Tatafu at the end of a counter attack.
Boudehent, however, then bundled over to take the hosts’ tries tally to eight and complete the rout.