France v Uruguay LIVE: Rugby World Cup result and reaction as hosts survive huge scare

France backed up their opening night win over New Zealand with a highly-entertaining 27-12 victory over Uruguay as the inspired Rugby World Cup outsiders made the second-string hosts work desperately hard for their points while scoring two fine tries.

Uruguay stunned the home fans when Nicolas Freitas scooped up a loose ball to score the opening try after six minutes and though Antoine Hastoy and the boot of Melvyn Jaminet edged France clear, they were lucky to lead 13-5 at half-time after a second try for the visitors by Felipe Etcheverry was harshly ruled out for obstruction.

They were not to be denied 13 minutes after the break though as Baltazar Amaya scored a brilliant try that Etcheverry converted to bring Uruguay, playing with remarkable confidence, within a point.

France, struggling with discipline all night, hit back quickly with a try by Peato Mauvaka but were still unable to take command and managed only one more, for Louis Bielle-Biarrey, meaning they missed out on a four-try bonus point and will hope to play better in remaining Pool A fixtures against Namibia and Italy.

Relive all the action from Stade Pierre Mauroy below. Get all the Rugby World Cup odds here

France vs Uruguay live

• France unconvincingly beat Uruguay 27-12 to make it two wins from two in Pool A

• REPORT: France given huge Rugby World Cup scare by minnows Uruguay

• FULL-TIME! France 27-12 Uruguay

• 72’ - TRY! Bielle-Biarrey over in the corner to put the game to bed (FRA 27-12 URU)

• 55’ - TRY! France immediately hit back as Mauvaka capitalises on sloppy kick error (FRA 20-12 URU)

• 52’ - TRY! Amaya dances through for try in the corner (FRA 13-12 URU)

• 49’ - NO TRY! Villiere score chalked off for Jelonch knock-on in the air (FRA 13-5 URU)

• 32’ - NO TRY! Etcheverry’s try for Uruguay ruled out for obstruction during the build-up (FRA 13-5 URU)

• 11’ - TRY! Hastoy finishes off nice team move (FRA 10-5 URU)

• 6’ - TRY! Freitas goes over to give Uruguay shock lead (FRA 3-5 URU)

France given huge Rugby World Cup scare by minnows Uruguay

22:23 , Luke Baker

France eventually saw off a brave Uruguay to continue their perfect start to the Rugby World Cup after grinding out a 27-12 win at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

Anthony Jelonch returned from a lengthy ACL injury absence to captain the team as part of 12 changes to the starting XV which had opened the tournament with an impressive victory over three-time world champions New Zealand in Paris.

But Uruguay pushed them all the way, denying the hosts a four-try bonus point, and but for a chargedown try, could have been searching for the winning score in the final moments of the game.

France given huge Rugby World Cup scare by minnows Uruguay

Maggie Alphonsi analyses Uruguay performance

22:10 , Luke Baker

ITV pundit Maggie Alphonsi gives her take on URuguay’s brave performance this evening

FULL TIME! France 27-12 Uruguay

22:02 , Luke Baker

France scraped their way to victory but what a performance by Los Teros. Here are the biggest moments of the second half.

FULL TIME France 27 - 12 Uruguay

21:55 , Imogen Ainsworth

Uruguay battled to the end there and were brilliant throughout but France do enough to hold on. Two wins for France now but neither particularly in the fashion that would have been expected.

France 27 - 12 Uruguay 78 mins

21:51 , Imogen Ainsworth

The time is ticking down but Uruguay can take a lot from this, definitely the more lively of the two sides.

NO TRY! France 27 - 12 Uruguay 75 mins

21:47 , Imogen Ainsworth

Macalou scores after a speedy break over half of the pitch as the ball goes loose from the counter ruck, he’s certainly been one of the more stand-out players for the home side today but he’s penalised for kicking the ball through the ruck and it’s disallowed.

TRY! France 27 - 12 Uruguay 72 mins

21:42 , Luke Baker

Bielle-Biarrey is the scorer in the corner, must be some feeling scoring at a home World Cup at the age of 20! France approaching bonus point territory now, despite how much Uruguay have impressed. Conversion from the touchline from Jaminet is good.

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 70mins

21:39 , Imogen Ainsworth

Uruguay lose the ball and France gather quickly.

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 69mins

21:38 , Imogen Ainsworth

And Uruguay now have a penalty for a French knock-on after the lineout! Scrum time again. Uruguay arguably the more impressive of the two teams in parts today, this French certainly haven’t the best account of themselves despite the score,

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 67 mins

21:36 , Imogen Ainsworth

Another scrum penalty... this time it goes France’s way again. A lot of scrum pens this evening. France work their way up the pitch again and Uruguay are defending once more.

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 66 mins

21:35 , Imogen Ainsworth

Uruguay now with a scrum close to the France line. Eight points in it... can they do it?!

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 62 mins

21:31 , Imogen Ainsworth

France give away a penalty now in the scrum for collapsing as Uruguay celebrate being able to diffuse the pressure and kick the ball up the field.

France 20 - 12 Uruguay 60 mins

21:29 , Imogen Ainsworth

Even the turf can’t handle the French pack! France showing their dominance again in the scrum as they look to further their lead close to the Uruguay line.

TRY! France 20 - 12 Uruguay 55mins

21:23 , Luke Baker

France reply immediately and it’s Mauvaka who scores after a flustered kick from Etcheverry hits his own player and France take advantage swiftly. Superb handling from Mauvaka to remain in control and ground the ball. It’s exactly what France needed, but will Uruguay be able to work their way back?

TRY! France 13 - 12 Uruguay 52 mins

21:19 , Luke Baker

Amaya scores on the outside for Uruguay as he spots a space and goes through it! He’s an impressive sevens player and it’s certainly showing. The conversion is good and France are now only ahead by one.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 48mins

21:17 , Imogen Ainsworth

Villiere dots down but it goes to TMO. The ball bounced off of Jelonch’s shoulder in the process as he goes to collect the high ball and they go back for the knock-on, no try.

An abundance of changes from both sides before the scrum.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 48mins

21:13 , Imogen Ainsworth

Jaminet misses a 56m penalty kick, France beginning to look frustrated.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 47 mins

21:12 , Imogen Ainsworth

A far from precise start to the first half with both sides looking scrappy at points.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 44 mins

21:09 , Imogen Ainsworth

Errors creeping in for both sides now, France the next side to be penalised for their lineout throw not being straight. They had just won a turnover before the lineout but now Uruguay are back in possession of the ball.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 40 mins

21:06 , Imogen Ainsworth

Uruguay with a firey start! Amaya breaks the line and sprints away before Uruguay are caught. France then give away a penalty at the ruck.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 40 mins

21:05 , Imogen Ainsworth

They’re back underway in Lille!

HALF-TIME! France 13-5 Uruguay

21:01 , Luke Baker

Here are the major highlights from the first half. Uruguay came agonisingly close to narrowing the deficit to just a point before Felipe Etcheverry’s try was disallowed.

HALF-TIME! France 13-5 Uruguay

20:56 , Luke Baker

Uruguay gave France all they could handle in that first half. Will Les Bleus pull away after the break?

HALF TIME France 13 -5 Uruguay 40 mins

20:51 , Imogen Ainsworth

Penalty to Uruguay and they kick the ball out on half time to deny France any chance of scoring before the break. France definitely looking the stronger side when it comes to set pieces but Uruguay are creating some exciting chances with ball in hand.

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 39 mins

20:48 , Imogen Ainsworth

Hastoy’s kick to Villière is overcooked but we go back for a penalty, Uruguay given a warning as Ardao is off his feet.

20:44 , Luke Baker

NO TRY France 13 -5 Uruguay 32 mins

The try is looked at again and Inciarte is found to have caused obstruction to a potential tackle on Etcheverry, try doesn’t stand.

Just before the try it was also decided by the off-field review that Taofifénua’s card will remain as a yellow.

20:40 , Imogen Ainsworth

TRY! France 13 - 10 Uruguay 32 mins

Etcheverry scores right next to the posts! TMO now checking for obstruction.

20:39 , Imogen Ainsworth

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 31 mins

A much improved scrum from Uruguay and it’s France who are penalised this time!

20:35 , Luke Baker

YELLOW CARD France 13 -5 Uruguay 27 mins

Romain Taofifénua is sent off the field as his shoulder makes contact with Arata’s head. Referee Ben O'Keeffe signals for an off-field review and we’ll wait to see if the card remains as a yellow or is upgraded to a red.

20:33 , Imogen Ainsworth

France 13 -5 Uruguay 26 mins

Uruguay hold France up to defend a threatening rolling maul and earn a penalty.

20:29 , Imogen Ainsworth

France 13 - 5 Uruguay 23 mins

Uruguay have a scrum, but France awarded the penalty for instability in the Uruguay front row and go for the corner. France massively overpowering Uruguay in the scrum at the moment.

20:20 , Imogen Ainsworth

PENALTY! France 13 - 5 Uruguay 15 mins

It’s Jaminet again who extends the French lead from the tee.

20:17 , Imogen Ainsworth

TRY! France 10-5 Uruguay 11 mins

Hastoy powers over after a pacy delivery from the scrum from Lucu as France respond. Conversion from Jaminet is good.

TRY! France 3-5 Uruguay 5 mins

20:11 , Luke Baker

And it’s Uruguay who get the first try! It’s Nicolas Freitas who scores past Jaminet after a well-timed kick from Felipe Etcheverry. Etcheverry’s conversion is charged down.

20:09 , Imogen Ainsworth

PENALTY France 3-0 Uruguay 3 mins

It’s a great strike from Melvyn Jaminet to put France ahead after they were awarded a penalty due to Sanguinetti collapsing the scrum.

20:04 , Imogen Ainsworth

KICK OFF France 0-0 Uruguay

And they’re underway in Lille! There is an early knock on from Sekou Macalou however and we’ll have a scrum barely a minute into the game.

20:01 , Imogen Ainsworth

Here are the anthems!

A poignant moment of reflection for the victims of the tragedies in Libya and Morocco before the anthems start.

Speaking of anthems, they sound much improved compared to those that were played during the first weekend!

19:52 , Imogen Ainsworth

Ten minutes until kick off!

Not long to go now, France will no doubt have confidence in their chances, but can Uruguay disrupt proceedings? Only time will tell!

19:19 , Imogen Ainsworth

The scrum-half battle

Uruguay’s Santiago Arata currently plays for French Top14 side Castres.

Stade Toulousain, the club of France’s first-choice scrum-half Antoine Dupont who has been rested this evening, have been reported to have shown an interest in signing Arata.

Tonight’s match-up between Arata and France’s Lucu is a key battle to watch out for.

An additional four players from the Uruguay team play their club rugby in France: Nicolas Freitas and Andrés Vilaseca (Vannes), Manuel Leindekar (Bayonne) and Agustin Ormaechea (Nice).

19:08 , Imogen Ainsworth

Past form

The two countries haven’t faced each other since the 1960s when a France XV team took to the field and have never played a full international fixture against each other until today.

France go into the match as the home side, among the World Cup favourites, and 14 places above Uruguay in the world rankings.

Uruguay however caused an upset at last RWC in 2019 when they beat Fiji, who were nine places above them at the time, 30-27.

France are currently on a four-match winning streak after beating New Zealand on the opening night in Paris while Uruguay have won one out of their last five.

France lay down Rugby World Cup marker but not how they intended

18:50 , Luke Baker

France began their World Cup with victory over New Zealand at a rocking Stade de France last Friday. Here’s Luke Baker’s report from a memorable night in Paris:

Pressure can do strange things to teams. Even the best in the world can suddenly struggle to execute the most basic skills under the burden of expectation. On a night when a raucous, febrile Stade de France crowd more than did their part, their heroes on the field often failed to do theirs – certainly in the swashbuckling, free-flowing manner we have become accustomed to over the past few years.

Yet somehow, someway, and even with the talismanic Antoine Dupont kept quiet, France emerged comfortably victorious against New Zealand. Barring some catastrophe or act of God in their remaining group games against the overmatched trio of Italy, Namibia and Uruguay, they can now safely start turning their focus to a quarter-final.

This 27-13 win won’t live in the memory for the quality of performance – in fact, at times, especially in the first half, Les Bleus bore no resemblance to the dynamic, efficient, ruthless machine that Fabien Galthie has created during this four-year cycle – but perhaps their grinding victory was simply a sign of the true champions they are.

Maybe the most eagerly-anticipated Rugby World Cup opener since South Africa vs Australia in 1995 was never destined to be a carnival of high-class rugby but the fact it ended with the All Blacks’ first-ever pool-stage defeat, after 31 straight wins dating back to 1987, speaks to what Les Bleus are now capable of.

France lay down Rugby World Cup marker but not how they intended

Uruguay team news

18:40 , Luke Baker

Scrum half Santiago Arata starts for Uruguay having been a doubt for the tournament with a hand injury, with the Castres playmaker a star of Esteban Meneses’s side.

Andres Vilaseca captains Los Teros eight years after older brother Santiago led them at the 2015 tournament, while the centre is one of 11 survivors of the 2019 World Cup picked to start.

Uruguay XV: Mateo Sanguinetti, Guillermo Pujadas, Ignacio Peculo; Felipe Aliaga, Manuel Leindekar; Manuel Ardao, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Diana; Santiago Arata, Felipe Etcheverry; Nicolas Freitas, Andres Vilaseca (capt.), Tomas Inciarte, Bautista Basso; Baltazar Amaya.

Replacements: Facundo Gattas, Matias Benitez, Reinaldo Piussi, Ignacio Dotti, Lucas Binachi, Carlos Deus; Agustin Ormaechea, Felipe Berchesi.

France team news

18:30 , Luke Baker

France have received a major fitness boost with Anthony Jelonch able to return after tearing his ACL earlier in the year. Jelonch captains a new-look side from No 8, with lock Cameron Woki, centre Yoram Moefana and wing Gabin Villiere the only three players to retain their starting spots from the win over New Zealand.

Cyril Baille and Jonathan Danty remain absent due to injury, and are the only two members of Fabien Galthie’s 33-man squad yet to feature in a matchday 23.

France XV: Jean-Baptiste Gros, Pierre Bourgarit, Dorian Aldegheri; Cameron Woki, Romain Taofifenua; Paul Boudehent, Sekou Macalou, Anthony Jelonch (capt.); Maxime Lucu, Antoine Hastoy; Gabin Villiere, Yoram Moefana, Arthur Vincent, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Melvyn Jaminet.

Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Bastien Chalureau, Thibaud Flament, Francois Cros; Baptiste Couilloud, Thomas Ramos.

When is France vs Uruguay and how can I watch it?

18:20 , Luke Baker

When is France vs Uruguay?

France vs Uruguay is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 14 September at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV4, with coverage on the channel from 7.15pm BST. Registered users can also stream the action via ITVX.

Is France vs Uruguay on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Rugby World Cup

18:11 , Luke Baker

Uruguay begin their Rugby World Cup campaign with a tough opening meeting with hosts France.

Fabien Galthie’s side, among the favourites for the tournament, produced a solid first showing against New Zealand at a febrile Stade de France to put them in pole position to top Pool A.

Galthie has elected to rest most of his regular starters for this fixture, with a short turnaround from that curtain-raiser and Uruguay unlikely to provide an 80-minute challenge.

But Esteban Meneses has plenty of quality in his squad, and Los Teros produced a real shock by beating Fiji in one of the games of the tournament four years ago.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Is France vs Uruguay on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Rugby World Cup

France vs Uruguay

18:10 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of France vs Uruguay, the first of the second round of pool matches at this Rugby World Cup.

Les Bleus got things going on opening night with a stirring win over the All Blacks at a febrile Stade de France, while this is heavy underdogs Uruguay’s first game of the tournament.

Stick with us for full live coverage of the contest.