The Rugby World Cup has lift off. France eventually turned on the style on a sultry night in Paris to open their home tournament with a victory over New Zealand. It was not a classic French performance and there is much more to come from Les Bleus, which is a warning for the rest of the tournament because the All Blacks were never in the game in the second half.
France led 9-8 at half-time having played barely any attacking rugby, relying on their set-piece and their breakdown to stay in the game after Mark Telea, the All Blacks wing, had stunned them with a try in under two minutes.
Telea scored again in the second half, a try which infuriated France who were convinced
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