FIJI 54 FRANCE 6
STEPHEN IBBETSON, Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, Saturday

FIJI are all but into the semi-finals on their World Cup debut after a comfortable win over a French side who return home with the tail between their legs.

The fine achievement will almost certainty be rubber-stamped once New Zealand play Papua New Guinea later on Saturday.

France came into the tournament ranked fourth in the world but this was yet another example of the shift in power across the women’s game in favour of the rising Pacific nations.

Already thrashed by PNG and New Zealand, they perhaps produced their best display of the World Cup here – but it was nothing like enough to compete, and they finish with a record of 204 points conceded and just ten scored.

Fiji put ten tries past them – seven of them converted by Luisa Yaranamua – and can now look forward to facing holders Australia at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium next Sunday, having already pushed New Zealand all the way in their opener.

France managed to limit the damage in the opening quarter to four points, which came after three minutes from Tahlia Marshall.

The winger, who scored a hat-trick against Papua New Guinea seven days earlier, crossed in the left corner after good passing through Losana Lutu and Taina Naividi.

After a period of French resistance, Latisha Smythe made a key break from which Lutu kicked high and Maria Paseka rose above opposing winger Margot Canal to score the second try.

Haoua Kessely then appeared to have got France on the board, only for the officials to judge her non-carrying arm had brushed the whitewash fractionally before the ball was planted down.

They were punished by two more Fijian tries in the final ten minutes of the half, the first an Aliti Namoce crash-over from no more than a metre out.

Namoce then turned provider with an offload which set Lutu racing away to establish a 20-0 advantage at the break.

As against PNG for their only other points of the tournament,  France scored first in the second half, although on this occasion that was only after Naomi Tegu had a Fiji try ruled out for losing control of the ball.

Alan Walsh’s side moved straight down the field with purpose afterwards, and Fanny Ramos’ break had the support of Stecy Bessière for a well-celebrated try which was converted by Lisa Diraison.

Normal service was swiftly resumed, however, as fullback Cassie Staples scored on the end of a scrum play for the first of six second-half Bulikula tries.

Staples then linked up with Naividi to put Marshall in for her second of the game and fifth try of the tournament overall.

Smythe powerfully spun through three defenders to ground their next try, while fellow forward Leilani Ahsam wasn’t touched at all as she went through a gap three minutes later.

Quick play through Lutu and Staples allowed Naividi to cross with a dummy six minutes from time.

And Lorren Ieli charged straight through the defence from a French drop-out to take Fiji over the half-century mark.

GAMESTAR: Latisha Smythe was one of several forwards too powerful for France to handle.

GAMEBREAKER: Three Fiji tries in eight minutes late in the first half ended initial French resistance.

MATCHFACTS

FIJI
1 Cassie Staples
2 Maria Paseka
3 Isabella Waterman
4 Taina Naividi
14 Tahlia Marshall
6 Luisa Yaranamua
7 Losana Lutu
8 Latisha Smythe
9 Sereana Naitokatoka
10 Lorren Ieli
11 Elizabeth Naleba
13 Talei Holmes
10 Leilani Ahsam
Subs (all used)
12 Ema Masi
17 Aliti Namoce
18 Naomi Tegu
20 Rory Muller

Tries: Marshall (4, 46), Paseka (20), Namoce (25), Lutu (28), Staples (40), Smythe (52), Ahsam (55), Naividi (64), Ieli (68)
Goals: Yaranamua 7/10

FRANCE
1 Manon Samarra
2 Margot Canal
3 Melissa Medina
4 Perle Ramazeilles
5 Haoua Kessely
6 Camille Boudaud
7 Lisa Diraison
8 Elisa Akpa
9 Cristina Song Puche
10 Élodie Pacull
11 Perrine Monsarrat
12 Stecy Bessière
16 Leïla Bessahli
Subs (all used)
14 Fanny Ramos
15 Salomé Segala
16 Louisa Tooman
17 Justine Roses

Tries: Bessière (39)
Goals: Diraison 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 20-0; 20-6, 26-6, 32-6, 38-6, 44-6, 50-6, 54-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Fiji: Latisha Smythe; France: Stecy Bessière

Penalty count: 9-5
Half-time: 20-0
Referee: Tara Jones