Scorching wing saves France’s day
‘ He’s been waiting for this chance. He knew he would play tonight, and he did well
IT was not just his bright pink boots that made France’s Sofiane Guitoune stand out in France’s 38-11 victory over Romania at the Rugby World Cup on Wednesday.
What really caught the eye were the winger’s scorching bursts of speed and the extensive reach that enabled him to stretch out, even after being tackled, and touch down for two tries at crucial stages of the match.
Guitoune broke a first-half stalemate by bursting through near the touchline and grounding the ball right-handed in the corner after nearly half an hour, as France immediately capi- talised on Romania’s Paulica Ion being sin-binned.
After the interval, when France led 17-6 with a further try from Yannick Nyanga, Guitoune broke through at the start of the final quarter for try number three, again displaying his pace and reach despite being tackled on the line by two defenders.
That score opened the way for two more tries, from Wesley Fofana and Gael Fickou, as France eventually ran away with a game that had not gone to plan for the opening half-hour.
Guitoune might have made it a hat-trick shortly before the end, when he ran on to his own kick and caught the ball but just failed to ground it and was ruled to have knocked on.
The 26-year-old, born in Algiers, made his debut for France in 2013, but spent 15 months out of the side before returning for this year’s Six Nations championship.
With just four caps and one try before Wednesday’s match, his performance against Romania will have done him no harm at all as he tries to secure a permanent place in the side.
It is a morale booster for France after another winger, Yoann Huget, sustained a knee injury against Italy and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament.
Coach Philippe Saint-Andre said of Guitoune’s showing: “He’s been waiting for this chance. He knew he would play tonight, and he did well.”
While happy enough in the end, Saint-Andre said the first-half display had caused him some concern. – Reuters