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RUGBY

France’s late show stuns Scotland

France kept their Six Nations titles hopes alive with a last gasp 19-17 win away to Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

France's late show stuns Scotland
Photo: Ian MacNicol/AFP

The Scots were on the brink of winning their first Test in eight matches against France when New Zealand referee Chris Pollock awarded a debatable penalty in front of the posts as the ball came out from a ruck.

Replacement Jean-Marc Doussain made sure of the kick and there was barely any time left for Scotland to mount a comeback.

Victory — France's first away from home in the Six Nations since winning at Murrayfield two years ago — left Philippe Saint-Andre's side in with a shout of a winner-takes-all title clash with Ireland in Paris next week.

"We take the win, I think," Saint-Andre told the BBC as he acknowledged France's good fortune.

"Fair play to Scotland, they play very well with a lot of spirit. They scored two good tries. Our discipline was good and at the end we managed to win but I can't say it was our best game.

"But that is three wins in four and we'll prepare for a big game against Ireland."

An entertaining first half ended with Scotland 14-9 in front after Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour scored tries converted by Greig Laidlaw, with recalled scrum-half Maxime Machenaud kicking three penalties for the visitors.

France wing Yoann Huget's converted intercept try early in the second half saw the French go 16-14 in front and threatened to knock the wind out of Scotland's sails.

But with fly-half Duncan Weir, whose last minute drop-goal secured a 21-20 win away to Italy, landing a key penalty after throwing the poor pass that led to Huget's try, Scotland had a one-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Impressive Scotland No 8 David Denton made no attempt to hide his anguish, saying: "This is one of most disappointing days I've had in a Scotland jersey.

"We were very unlucky at the end there. We did really well, the front row in particular, against a French side who came here to beat us up at the set piece but we dominated the game."

Scotland coach Scott Johnson recalled captain Kelly Brown in one of three changes to the pack.

Brown replaced Glasgow's Chris Fusaro, while Geoff Cross and Denton recalled as well.

France kicked-off with a side showing seven changes to the one thrashed 26-7 by champions Wales last time out.

The very first scrum of the match saw France force a penalty which Machenaud kicked.

Eight minutes later good work by centres Maxime Mermoz and Mathieu Bastareaud took France to within sight of the try-line and Scotland were fortunate not to be a man down when they deliberately killed the ball in front of their posts.

Machenaud made no mistake and France were 6-0 in front.

But two minutes later Scotland took the lead. Laidlaw put up a clever high kick over the try-line which Huget failed to catch under pressure from Scotland counterpart Sean Lamont.

But full-back Hogg, following up, touched down and Pollock, after consulting the television match official, awarded the try.

Another Machenaud penalty took France 9-7 in front only for Scotland, on a Murrayfield pitch still disfigured by a parasitic infection, to regain the lead with a well-worked try as centre Matt Scott's delightful inside pass released wing Seymour to score.

Shortly before half-time France full-back Brice Dulin ran the ball out from under his own posts only for skipper Pascal Pape to cut short an enterprising move with a knock-on.

There was still time for France to be awarded another penalty but this time Machenaud missed.

Scotland started the second half on the attack only for Huget to intercept a 'telegraphed' looping pass from Weir, intended for Dunbar, and sprint some 90 metres for a try under the posts.

Laidlaw missed with a 45-metre penalty before Weir took over kicking and his 42-metre attempt put Scotland 17-16 in front.

And with six minutes remaining, the Scottish front row won another scrum penalty only for Weir's 44-metre kick to lack both distance and direction before France's late breakthrough.

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SPORT

French rugby in turmoil as FFR boss gets suspended sentence over corruption

Lawyers for FFR President Bernard Laporte said he was going to appeal against the court's verdict

French rugby in turmoil as FFR boss gets suspended sentence over corruption

French rugby was reeling Tuesday after the president of the country’s governing body Bernard Laporte was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence on corruption charges nine months before France hosts the game’s World Cup.

Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) president Laporte, 58, was convicted after a French court ruled he showed favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier. He was also banned from holding any rugby post for two years. Both are suspended pending an appeal, which Laporte’s lawyer said was imminent.

Laporte later stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of the sport’s global governing body, World Rugby, pending a review by the body’s ethics officer.

“World Rugby notes the decision by World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte to self-suspend from all positions held within its governance structures with immediate effect following his conviction by the French court in relation to domestic matters, and pending his appeal,” World Rugby said.

“While acknowledging Laporte’s self-suspension and right of appeal, given the serious nature of the verdict World Rugby’s Executive Committee has referred the matter to its independent ethics officer for review in accordance with its integrity code,” it added.

Resignation call
Laporte faces problems on the domestic front, too, with Florian Grill, who narrowly lost to him in the 2020 election for federation chief, calling for Laporte and the entire board to stand down.

“It is unheard of in rugby, this is an earthquake,” Grill told AFP. “We have never before seen a president of the federation condemned to two
years in prison, even if it suspended.

“We think the 40 members of the board of directors should draw the obvious conclusions and resign.”

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the sentence was an “obstacle for Bernard Laporte to be able, as it stands, to continue his mission in good conditions” as federation president, and called for a “new democratic era to allow French rugby to rebound as quickly as possible and sufficiently healthy and solid, with a governance by the federation that will have the full confidence of the clubs”.

The court found that Laporte ensured a series of marketing decisions favourable to Altrad – who was given an 18-month suspended sentence and
€50,000 euro — in exchange for a €180,000 image licensing contract that was never actually carried out.

Altrad’s lawyer said he would study the decision before deciding on whether to appeal.

At the trial’s close in September, prosecutors said they were seeking a three-year prison sentence for Laporte, of which he should serve one behind bars, and the two others on probation.

The friendship and business links between Laporte and Altrad are at the heart of the case.

It goes back to February 2017, when they signed a deal under which Laporte agreed to appear at Altrad group conferences, and sold his image reproduction rights, in return for €180,000.

But while that sum was  paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he neveractually provided the services he signed up for.

Laporte did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed the €1.8 million deal with the businessman making his namesake firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team’s jerseys.

The Altrad name and logo still features on the shirts thanks to a follow-up deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018 and which prosecutors say bears all the hallmarks of corruption. It is also on the All Blacks’ national squads’ shirts, and New Zealand Rugby is reportedly seeking an urgent meeting with company officials following the court ruling.

Laporte, formerly a highly successful coach who guided France twice to the World Cup semi-finals (2003 and 2007), was also found guilty of favouritism
with regards to Altrad’s Montpellier Herault Rugby (MHR) club.

He was convicted for intervening with French rugby’s federal disciplinary commission to reduce a fine against the club from €70,000 to €20,000 after several telephone calls from Laporte.

While prosecutors saw this and several more incidents as proof of illicit favouritism, Laporte himself had claimed there was no “cause-effect relationship”.

On the last day of the trial in October, Laporte’s lawyer Fanny Colin accused the prosecution of “confirmation bias” by “taking into account only elements backing their original assumptions”.

The verdict comes only nine months before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8, 2023, with matches played in nine stadiums across the country.

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