Test Match No. 87: French Tour 1985, game 6

日本語 Français Photo Journal
26 October 1985 at La Beaujoire
●Japan 0-52 France○
Unable to stop the deep attack
 
Data:
26/10/85, 2nd Test
Japan 0 France XV 52
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Half-time: 0-26
Referee: Clive T. Norling (Wales)
Touch Judges: Owen Jones (Wales), Guy Abiven (France, Comite Atlantique)
Crowd: 18,000
 
JAPAN: 15 Daijiro Murai, 14 Shinji Onuki, 13 Nohomuli Taumoefolau (20 Hideo Kobayashi 18) (21 Shogo Mukai 60), 12 Toshihiro Matsunaga, 11 Toshiro Yoshino, 10 Kazuhiko Honjo, 9 Yoshimitsu Konishi, 8 Masato Tsuchida, 7 Michihito Chida, 6 Yoshifumi Kasai, 5 Atsushi Oyagi, 4 Toshiyuki Hayashi, 3 Koji Horaguchi (capt), 2 Tsuyoshi Fujita, 1 Jiro Ishiyama.
Reserves: 16 Keiichi Nakayama, 17 Toshitaka Kimura, 18 Hopoi Taione, 19 Mitsutake Hagimoto.
 
FRANCE XV: 15 Jérôme Bianchi, 14 Michel Fabre, 13 Denis Charvet, 12 Eric Bonneval, 11 Jean-Baptiste Lafond, 10 Didier Cambérabéro, 9 Pierre Berbizier, 8 Laurent Rodoriguez, 7 Jacques Gratton, 6 Eric Champ, 5 Jean-Charles Orso, 4 Thierry Picard, 3 Daniel Dubroca, 2 Philippe Dintrans (capt), 1 Philippe Marocco.
Reserves: 16 Bernard Herrero, 17 P. Ondrats, 18 Marc Cecillon, 19 Guy Ramon, 20 Pierre Chadebech, 21 J.-Marc Lescure.
Tries: Cambérabéro (2), Lafond (2), Charvet (2), Dintrans (2), Fabre, Rodoriguez; Conversions: Cambérabéro (6).
 
Scoring sequence (Japan's score shown first): 5min-try France XV, Cambérabéro; conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**,--min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-26, Half-time, 41min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, 41min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-**, --min-try France XV, (unknown); conv. Cambérabéro (unknown)-0-52.
 


Japan suffered two shut-out losses to France in a row, and was made very aware of the difference in level.
We conceded 276 points (52 tries) in six games while gaining only 40 points (seven tries). On top of that, many of them were scored in the last twenty minutes. The tour director and coach Oka was dumbfounded and said that “I feel like we were thrown back 10 years…” Local newspapers Midi Olympique and L'Équipe threw harsh criticism on the ungraceful spell of big defeats, saying that inviting Japan itself was a mistake. What Japan didn't expect was that the forwards, that fought well against Wales, and gave Ireland a hard time, were breached easily by the vigorous side attack by France. They were overwhelmed even in the set where we could have gained possession, and completely defeated in mauls and rucks. Perhaps it comes down to the ability that Japan hasn't truly developed yet, but it is still a shocking result as most of the forwards were those who played in the Welsh tour.