Coach Chris Davey said, ‘The new ruling, which was clearly explained to us at the start of the tournament states that you must be able to cover your first two front row injuries. But France failed to do this, so I believe they should forfeit their win. A disputes panel will sit today (Monday) to decide if any action will be taken.
‘This rule has an important selection implication because if you only have to cover one front row injury, you can have extra second row or back row cover therefore you have a big advantage in terms of your bench.’
Wales were trailing 14-8 at half time due to two French tries to one from Wales fullback Gareth Swales and a penalty from Nicky Robinson.
And following the introduction of passive scrums after 63 minutes, France replacement front row Benjamin Rioux dealt killer blow to Wales by scoring under the posts and a successful conversion took the score to 21-8. Wales came back with two tries from Newport’s Rhys Thomas and Cardiff’s Nicky Robinson but that wasn’t enough. A penalty from France made it 20-24.
Despite the result on Sunday, Davey is pleased with his team’s World Cup showing. ‘We looked tired against France because a lot of the players have played the full 80 minutes in all five games. But we battled well in the second half and we created enough chances to win the game.
‘Despite that loss, the team’s performances have been very positive and have given us a lot to be pleased with throughout this tournament.’
Wales scorers v France:
Tries: G Swales, R Thomas, N Robinson
Con: N Robinson
Pen: N Robinson
Yellow Card: Nathan Brew (10)
France Scorers:
Tries: M Baget, G Bergos, B Rioux
Cons: C Garcia (3)
Pen: B Rieger
Yellow Cards: Arnaud Mathet (23), Benjamin Rioux (74)
