The XV de France concluded their summer tour on a high note by securing a comfortable victory against Japan at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Demonstrating significant physical superiority, the French squad crossed the try line six times to claim an offensive bonus point. According to tournament statistics, this crucial bonus has propelled Fabien Galthié's men ahead of Ireland in the current Northern Hemisphere standings.
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Subscribe Sekarang →The match began with early drama as France suffered blows to their lineup. Lock Florian Verhaeghe was forced off early due to an injury sustained during a heavy collision with Harry Hockings. Despite the disruption, which saw Hugo Auradou and Killian Tixeront enter the fray, the French pack struck first. Hooker Maxime Lamothe capitalized on a driving maul to score the opening try, with Maxime Lucu adding the conversion.
Japan's Brave Blossoms, coached by Eddie Jones, showed flashes of resistance in the first half. Takuro Matsunaga slotted a penalty before winger Kippei Ishida won a duel against Théo Attissogbe to score a well-worked try out wide. However, France quickly reclaimed control. Matthieu Jalibert found a gap following a sharp combination with Romain Ntamack, and Alexandre Roumat added a third try from another powerful rolling maul.
From editorial monitoring of the match, the French dominance became undeniable just before the interval. A relentless driving maul allowed Maxime Lamothe to pierce the Japanese defense, setting up scrum-half Maxime Lucu for the bonus-point try. Although Japan responded late in the half through an opportunistic try by Hayate Era, the visitors maintained a commanding lead at halftime.
The second half saw France extend their advantage through a dazzling line break by Matthieu Jalibert, who finished a sequence initiated by Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Yoram Moefana. Maxime Lamothe later completed his brace following a series of pick-and-go phases. Although the closing stages were marked by a yellow card for France's number 7 and a late try by Japan's Tiennan Costley, the outcome was never in doubt.
Based on post-match assessments, the fixture provided crucial answers for Fabien Galthié as he continues to fine-tune his squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup. While structural adjustments remain, the convincing performances of testing personnel, alongside the strategic rotational shifts in the second half, validated the depth of the French selection during this successful summer campaign.