France have gone back-to-back in their opening two games of the Rugby World Cup 2023 after defeating Uruguay 27-12; here is how we rated Fabien Galthie’s charges in victory.

15 Melvyn Jaminet: Uruguay fly-half Felipe Etcheverry caught the full-back out of position with a deft kick and the Les Bleus man could not recover in time as Nicolas Freitas scored the opening try. Jaminet slotted five of his six shots at goal but struggled to make his mark with ball in hand. 5

14 Louis Bielle-Biarrey: Went searching for work around the park but got precious few opportunities with ball in hand and struggled to make any ground when he did. When he got a sniff, he took it well. 5

Moefana stars again

13 Arthur Vincent: A mixed-bag performance from the usually excellent centre, who is still trying to find his feet after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. He made some good decisions on defence and some uncharacteristically poor ones. He did, however, have some great moments with ball in hand. 6

12 Yoram Moefana: Another fine shift from the man filling Jonathan Danty’s void. He was strong defensively and got over the gain line when trucking it up. 8

11 Gabin Villière: Used for the crash ball from the first phase; who knows why, as he was easily met each time and stripped of the ball in the first half. He went looking for work but was largely average. 5

10 Antoine Hastoy: Flashes of brilliance in Uruguay’s 22 boosts Hastoy’s rating as his ruthlessness ultimately saw them to victory. He assisted Bielle-Biarrey’s score with some neat hands and got his side’s only first-half try, even if it was a bit greedy with men outside him in a better position. Far from a convincing outing on the whole. 7

9 Maxime Lucu: Not quite Antoine Dupont, but who is. The French number nine assisted his half-back partner’s try while his kicking and passing was sharp – a decent performance overall. 6

Jelonch’s return

8 Anthony Jelonch: A strong 50-minute shift from the returning star back-rower. He made some hammering tackles in his short stint and got his hands on the ball plenty as he shifted the play on well, completing two offloads and eight passes. 7

7 Sekou Macalou: He was unfortunate to have his try chalked off after a hard-working shift. Looked to put down a marker with his work rate but was not quite as successful as he would liked and had some silly errors. 6

6 Paul Boudehent: A real grafter around the pitch, hitting the rucks, cleaning up scraps when the ball popped loose and contested at the breakdown in an attempt to slow Uruguay’s attack. 6

Slow start

5 Romain Taofifenua: Incredibly lucky to just be yellow-carded for his tackle on Santiago Arata and now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be cited. He did have some nice touches before then but did little after he returned from the yellow and replaced shortly after the break. 3

4 Cameron Woki: Little fuss in his performance, he got the job done in all facets, from the lineout to defence and carried hard. An average performance from Woki, but nothing outstanding. 5

3 Dorian Aldegheri: Early dominance in the scrum, but it turned into a real battle with both sides getting the upper hand and losing it. He was quiet around the park and was an early replacement. 4

2 Pierre Bourgarit: Solid lineouts and made his tackles. He also won a turnover and was strong in the carry. He ticked all the boxes without being outstanding, a notable step up when Peato Mauvaka replaced him. 5

1 Jean-Baptiste Gros: Like his fellow front-rowers, he was part of the starting pack that failed to gain the upper hand and retain it. Also didn’t add much around the park. 4

Replacements: Mauvaka was the standout from the bench as he dotted down for another try. Francois Cros was another who improved France’s performance, as did Bastien Chalureau. The bench saw Les Bleus to victory but should have secured the bonus point. 6

READ MORE: France labour to victory over impressive Uruguay as they go two from two

The article France player ratings: Second string Les Bleus stutter to victory appeared first on Planetrugby.com.