Second-string France overcome valiant Uruguay at Rugby World Cup

Last week’s rip-roaring victory over three-time winners New Zealand was always going to be a hard act to follow for the hosts, but few had expected them to struggle against Uruguay, one of the lowest-ranked teams at the tournament, who put on a defiant spectacle at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

France coach Fabien Galthié had made wholesale changes to the home side, opting to rest the likes of Gregory Alldritt, Gael Fickou, Charles Ollivon and captain Antoine Dupont. But he warned his players not to show complacency, noting that Uruguay had “big hearts” and “a lot of energy and aggression”.

That warning turned out to be an understatement.

Uruguay were making their tournament debut in France, four years after they kicked off their 2019 World Cup in Japan with a memorable win over Fiji. While matching that feat on Thursday was an impossible ask, the inspired visitors did give the French a scare, trailing the home favourites by a single point midway through the second half.

For all their limitations, most notably at the scrum, Uruguay showed up with a real spring in their step, earning a richly deserved standing ovation from the home crowd. Solid in defence, they proved inventive and daring with ball in hand – though they never really had enough of it.

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The 49,000-strong crowd in Lille, a northern city more accustomed to football than rugby, were less impressed with France's performance, which drew a smattering of boos and whistles in between stirring renditions of the Marseillaise.

Coach Galthié made 12 changes to the starting XV that dispatched New Zealand a week ago, and the replacements did not rise to the occasion.