Damian Penaud scored a hat-trick of tries as World Cup hosts France thrashed Namibia in Marseille on Thursday, but Antoine Dupont went off injured after a high tackle.
France raced to four tries against Namibia within the opening 21 minutes.
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Dupont, yet to lose a match on home soil when captaining France in 14 matches, showed his awareness with a cross-kick that Penaud gathered for France’s opening try in the sixth minute.
Jonathan Danty marked his return from injury with the second try after Louis Bielle-Biarrey produced a fine inside pass, rapidly followed by Charles Ollivon finishing off a flowing counter-attack.
Penaud grabbed his second to guarantee France the desired attacking bonus point, quickly followed by Danty, who barrelled over from short range.
Thibaud Flament crossed for the home side’s sixth try after an Anthony Jelonch break from a ruck and Dupont was next over the line with Namibia left answerless to the speed and efficiency of the French.
Dupont produced his second decisive cross-kick of the match for Bielle-Biarrey, Ramos’ seventh conversion leaving it 54-0 at half-time.
But the Toulouse scrum-half’s second period was short lived as Deysel made head-on-head contact with him in a tackle and Dupont was forced off for a head injury assessment and the Namibia captain red-carded.
It also saw Divan Rossouw’s intercept try scrubbed from the books to rub salt into Namibia’s wounds.
Dupont’s replacement Baptiste Couilloud didn’t linger once he got on, played in for a try by Peato Mauvaka as Namibia were left with the stark realisation that they were a man down for the final 35 minutes.
Penaud grabbed his third try to match Vincent Clerc (in 2007) and Ugo Mola (1999) in scoring a hat-trick in France’s two other matches against Namibia, also at World Cups, and fellow wing Bielle-Biarrey went long-range for his second.
Melvyn Jaminet, and a late penalty try, accompanied by 12 Ramos conversions helped wrap up proceedings as the hosts extended Namibia’s World Cup losing streak to 25 games.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP