France U20s credit ‘crazy serenity’ after overcoming another early deficit in final

It may have been Ireland who opened the scoring in the World Rugby U20 Championship final, but just like they did in the semi-final, France stormed home to take a big win.

After the lead was wrestled back and forth throughout the opening 40 minutes, France came out firing in the second spell, scoring 33 unanswered points to claim their third consecutive U20 championship title.

It was another remarkable display of composure and accuracy from the young French team, who dealt with an even faster start against England in their semi-final. A 17-0 deficit with just 13 minutes played didn’t get the French team down, they instead went on to win 52-31.

Another 50-point performance in the final further proved the team’s quality under scoreboard pressure. Lenni Nouchi, the French captain, recognised his side’s composure as one of their great attributes.

“In the fifth or sixth minute of a match, there’s still 75 to go,” Nouchi said after the game, reflecting on another early deficit. “I think there are quite a few players who have played at a high level here, and we all know that a match is played over 80 minutes, not 10.

“We knew they were going to start strongly and I think we reacted very well, whether it was in the in-goal or on the field, we were always calm, just like against England. We were down 17-0 in the 14th minute and we remained calm. This team has a pretty crazy serenity. I think we reacted in the right way.”

The captain himself crossed the chalk as France’s momentum built into an onslaught. The backrower was determined to contribute to the scoreboard after fellow loose forward Marko Gazzotti was dishing out some friendly banter in the aftermath of the semi-final.

“Marko told Lenni, ‘In the semi-final, I was the finisher’. So Lenni was very angry and wanted to show him that he could score, too,” France coach Sebastien Calvet chuckled after the match.

“There are a lot of X-factor players in this team, and we can’t be champions if we don’t have a lot of X-factors. This back row is talented and complementary.

“These boys are really remarkable for their human values. Some of them work on themselves to be active in the group, to bring their own touches. And, for others, it comes naturally. Each of them, with his or her own personality, has contributed as much off the pitch as on it.”