French hat-trick seals win over USA

FT France 41 USA 14

South African born centre Brian Liebenberg scored a hat-trick to help France to a 41-14 win over the United States in Wollongong and go into the World Cup quarter-finals with four wins from four matches.

Liebenberg's treble was complemented by tries for hooker Yannick Bru and tighthead prop Jean Baptiste Poux in a comfortable win for Les Bleus.

Kort Schubert and Mike Hercus scored tries for an American side who will rue a poor first half performance which saw them down 26-0 at the break.

Dmitri Yachvili decided enough was enough after a period of pressure failed to bring reward for France, the scrum-half scoring with a drop-goal to make it 41-14.

A sweeping counter-attack by France was snuffed out by a good tackle on Poitrenaud on the French left, but the next American attack foundered when the ball was knocked on.

With eight minutes left France attacke down the right, with Bory feeding Poitrenaud to set up a ruck close to the American line, but the movement died when Yachvili tried an extravagant flick pass and it failed to find a team-mate.

The low point of the second half came when referee Paul Honiss yellow carded Chabal in the 75th minute for repeated infringements at the ruck.

Sadly for the USA their first promising move after Chabal was sent to the sin bin collapsed with a knock-on and France cleared through Yachvili.

That proved the final real moment of action in the match as the Americans bade farewell to the tournament and French moved comfortably into the quarter-finals as winners of Pool B.