France vs Namibia LIVE! Rugby World Cup 2023 result, match stream, latest updates today

France vs Namibia - LIVE!

Damian Penaud scored a hat-trick as sensational France ran riot against Namibia in a 96-0 win at the Rugby World Cup, but that could be overshadowed by an injury to Antoine Dupont.

Les Blues hit the ground running when Penaud caught a Dupont kick to score after seven minutes and did not let up as Jonathan Danty grabbed the second and Charles Ollivon the third after a brilliant handling move down the right wing. Penaud and Danty each got their second before Thibaud Flament, Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey made it eight in the first half for a 54-0 lead.

Divan Rossouw crossed the line for Namibia with an interception early in the second half but it was ruled out for a high hit on Dupont, which earned Johan Deysel a red card and forced the France captain off the field worryingly holding his jaw. Against 14 tiring men for 35 minutes France scored further tries through Baptiste Couilloud, Penaud’s hat-trick, Bielle-Biarrey and Ollivon’s second. Melvyn Jaminet got himself involved too before a late penalty try was awarded to the hosts, and with Thomas Ramos landing 12 of his 13 conversions, they overhauled their previous record win.

France vs Namibia latest news

• FT: France 96-0 Namibia

• TRY! Hat-trick for Penaud

• RED CARD! Deysel off for high tackle on Dupont

• TRY! Dupont adds seventh try before half-time

• TRY! Penaud seals bonus point

• TRY! Ollivon finishes stunning move

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22:22 , Matt Verri

Damian Penaud scored a hat-trick as sensational France ran riot against Namibia in a 96-0 win at the Rugby World Cup, but that could be overshadowed by an injury to Antoine Dupont.

Les Blues hit the ground running when Penaud caught a Dupont kick to score after seven minutes and did not let up as Jonathan Danty grabbed the second and Charles Ollivon the third after a brilliant handling move down the right wing.

Penaud and Danty each got their second before Thibaud Flament, Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey made it eight in the first half for a 54-0 lead, the last of those potentially the pick of the bunch as a glorious crossfield kick off from Dupont’s left boot set up Bielle-Biarrey.

Divan Rossouw crossed the line for Namibia with an interception early in the second half but it was ruled out for a high hit on Dupont, which earned Johan Deysel a red card and forced the France captain off the field worryingly holding his jaw.

Read our full report here!

Pick of the bunch?

21:56 , Matt Verri

FT: France 96-0 Namibia

21:52 , Matt Verri

They give it a go but the ball is loose and into touch.

That will be that in Marseille. France win 96-0 and it’s three wins from three at the World Cup. An absolute masterclass.

21:51 , Matt Verri

We do restart, France will get a shot at 100!

They’re going to have to run it from their own 22...

PENALTY TRY FRANCE!

21:50 , Matt Verri

79 mins: Wasn’t far off one of them there, Couilloud lurking out wide but the door is slammed shut on him.

Lineout for Les Blues, here comes the maul. Namibia struggling to deal with this, try line getting ever closer.

Brought down short, but it’s a penalty try! And a yellow card for Benade. 96-0!

21:48 , Matt Verri

Ramos adds the extras, that’s 89-0 and the record for the most points France have scored in a match.

They’ve got two minutes to find two tries if they want to bring up a century...

TRY FRANCE!

21:46 , Matt Verri

76 mins: Another penalty at the scrum for France, kick takes them into the Namibia 22 once more.

And, yet again, the lineout brings a try. They have the advantage but it’s not needed, ball worked wide and Jaminet has a simple finish out wide.

21:43 , Matt Verri

74 mins: Namibia continue to make an error whenver they get into a slightly promising position. Ball dropped again.

Bit of a concern here for France, Les Blues is limping and holding his knee. Physios swiftly on with some ice.

21:40 , Matt Verri

71 mins: Namibia taking their sweet time over the lineout. Wise choice.

France have it back and they should really have another try! Penaud swerving away from the white shirts, pass inside to Bielle-Biarrey who spills it with half the pitch open ahead of him.

TRY FRANCE!

21:38 , Matt Verri

So much space now, Namibia getting very tired.

Flung out wide, Ollivon bursting down the wing. He has Bielle-Biarrey on his left shoulder, throws the dummy and goes over himself.

That’s 82-0.

21:35 , Matt Verri

66 mins: Still the best part of 15 minutes to go. France need 25 points if they are to reach the century - might just be out of reach now. Sure they’ll survive...

Greyling boots the ball straight out, will come back for a French lineout in the Namibian half.

TRY FRANCE!

21:32 , Matt Verri

Crazy minute!

Namibia intercept, they look to be away for a try but France scramble back really well.

And it’s wide to Bielle-Biarrey, who runs it in from pretty much his own 22. He looks absolutely exhausted! 73-0.

21:31 , Matt Verri

62 mins: Namibia have been impressive since going down to 14, haven’t allowed France to run away with it. Most of the match has taken place in the French half.

Hosts are back on the attack here though and they have a penalty in the Namibia half. To the corner we go...

21:28 , Matt Verri

60 mins: But the decision is reversed, no-arms tackle from Wardi. Will be a Namibia penalty instead, Loubser sends them into the 22.

Lineout claimed, can the maul bring some success? No, brought down and France turn it over. Penalty for Les Blues.

21:27 , Matt Verri

58 mins: Back underway, thankfully it doesn’t look to be serious for Boudehent.

Namibia continue to see a fair amount of the ball, but they cannot find that final part. Still waiting for their first point of the night.

And they’ll have to keep waiting, French penalty.

21:24 , Matt Verri

57 mins: Play halted, referee swiftly reacts as Boudehent goes down after taking a blow to his head.

Looked really awkward as he slumps down, will need some treatment. Clock is off.

TRY FRANCE!

21:22 , Matt Verri

Hat-trick for Penaud!

He can smile now, but he wasn’t a few seconds earlier. Jaminet breaking away down the right, has to set Penaud away but opts to go himself. Brought down.

Les Blues do then find Penaud though, who can topple over out wide. Ramos adds the extras. 68-0.

Why Namibia are down to 14...

21:20 , Matt Verri

21:18 , Matt Verri

52 mins: Namibia pushing, they are inches away from the French tryline.

Knock it backwards, they keep the ball but they are forced back towards the 22. They have an advantage... but it runs out about a second before Namibia knock it on.

Sums up their night.

NO TRY!

21:16 , Matt Verri

Or not. Try is ruled out by the TMO.

Tackle off the ball from France and it’s pulled back, penalty for Namibia. Marseille crowd unimpressed.

They’ll have to settle for a 61-0 lead...

TRY! France 68-0 Namibia

21:15 , Matt Verri

If the wheels were just about clinging on for Namibia, they’re now rolling down the road.

Couilloud with the intercept and he has a second try in as many minutes. Right under the posts, Ramos will do the rest.

Three figures now looks not far off a certainty...

RED CARD

21:13 , Matt Verri

Tricky conversion for Ramos, or at least it looked like it was. He adds the extra two points.

And it gets worse for Namibia, Deysel’s yellow card has been upgraded to a red. He will not be returning to the pitch.

More than 30 minutes left and Namibia are down to 14. France’s concern will be Dupont, who was holding his cheeck as he went off.

TRY FRANCE!

21:11 , Matt Verri

47 mins: Jalibert with the crossfield kick, just too much on it. Penalty advantage though and France send it back into the corner.

And they are up and running in the second-half! Couilloud darts over out wide, barely a minute after coming on. 59-0.

NO TRY!

21:09 , Matt Verri

And not only that, it’s a yellow card for Deysel. Namibia snatch defeat from the jaws of ‘victory’.

It will be reviewed too over the next eight minutes, could well be upgraded to a red card. It stays 54-0.

Dupont still holding his jaw, not looking comfortable at all. He’ll be assessed, Couilloud on in his place.

TRY NAMIBIA!

21:08 , Matt Verri

Well well well!

France look to have the platform for another try of their own, but Jalibert’s pass is intercepted by Rossouw.

He strolls away under the posts, Namibia are on the board!

Although, TMO checking for a potential high tackle on Dupont...

21:06 , Matt Verri

42 mins: Well, no further damage for Namibia. So far, so good.

Rossouw looks to get them on the front foot, having been introduced at the break. He’s shoved into touch though.

Namibia will have a scrum in a good position though, Ramos’ kick from deep bobbles all the way past the posts and out of play.

Back underway!

21:03 , Matt Verri

Second-half has begun in Marseille.

Dupont masterclass

20:55 , Matt Verri

Tough to pick the best try of the half, there’s been a few special ones.

But this from Dupont was outrageous. He set up the first try for Penaud with a crossfield kick off his right boot... this was fairly decent with his left.

An exhibition!

20:50 , Matt Verri

HT: France 54-0 Namibia

20:48 , Matt Verri

Challenge for Ramos from the conversion... he’s up to it with the final kick of the half. 54-0.

A sensational 40 minutes from France, who have blown Namibia away. Three figures very much on the cards if they keep this up.

TRY FRANCE!

20:47 , Matt Verri

STOP THAT.

Just far too good. Dupont absolutely clattered, but in the process sends a stunning left-footed kick out wide to Bielle-Biarrey.

It’s absolutely perfect, winger claims it and falls over the line out wide. 52-0.

TRY FRANCE!

20:44 , Matt Verri

Dupont gets in on the fun!

Penaud spots a gap, too quick for the defence and he’s away.

Dupont up with him, simple pass to his left and the scrum-half walks it in. Crowd loved that. Simple conversion against for France, it’s 47-0.

20:43 , Matt Verri

37 mins: Disastrous. Lineout is long... too long. France have it back and can clear the ball up the pitch.

Namibia again working the phases, Ollivon is about six inches away from an intercept. Would have had the freedom of Marseille had he claimed that.

20:41 , Matt Verri

36 mins: Well then, penalty for Namibia in the French 22 straight from the restart.

They’ve opted against just getting on the board, kicked to the corner. Big chance for them here to make something happen...

TRY FRANCE!

20:39 , Matt Verri

33 mins: Namibian pack going to come under huge pressure here. They were being shoved back but Namibia quickly get the ball out.

But here is the sixth try!

Jelonch beats Dupont to the ball and bundles his way through the gap, before popping it up as Flament strolls over.

Simple conversion for Ramos. 40-0.

NO TRY!

20:38 , Matt Verri

France have numbers out wide again, Penaud charging into space. Flicks the kick forward, Loubser claims but he’s shoved into touch. French lineout in the Namibian 22.

And there’s the sixth try! Or is it?

Mauvaka fumbles it, Jelonch catches it and goes over but it was forward. Will be a scrum on the 5m line to Namibia.

20:34 , Matt Verri

31 mins: Wow... Namibia very nearly in for a try!

Just a couple of metres out, but it’s so good from Danty. Namibia penalised for not releasing, France survive that particular scare.

All of a sudden went very quiet in Marseille!

20:32 , Matt Verri

29 mins: Van den Berg with a powerful run, that is until he meets Atonio.

This is Namibia’s best spell of possession, but they’re not making huge ground in the France half. Still working the phases nicely though.

Kick out wide, Mouton keeps it in play and does well to skip inside. Namibia not far off the 22 now, phases into double figures.

A couple of nice offloads too... the third is knocked on.

TRY FRANCE!

20:29 , Matt Verri

Danty has his second!

Lineout claimed, this time they don’t opt for the maul. Dupoint meants Danty, who crashes over from close range.

Ramos with a simple conversion, it’s 33-0. We haven’t played 27 minutes yet.

20:29 , Matt Verri

25 mins: Massive scrum from France, they have a penalty in the Namibia 22.

Penaud sends it to the corner, lineout for Les Blues. 5m out. Here we go again...

20:26 , Matt Verri

24 mins: This is so much fun, France flinging the ball around as though it’s an exhibition. Dupont flicks it one-handed back inside, France have numbers out wide and should probably finish the move.

Jalibert can’t quite find Penaud though and the chance goes. This could be ANY score.

TRY FRANCE!

20:24 , Matt Verri

And there’s the bonus point with 21 minutes on the clock.

Penaud has his second, again it’s close to being a forward pass but it’s perfect in the end. The winger skips into the space and dives over out wide.

Ramos with another chance to add two points... and he does. France lead 26-0.

20:22 , Matt Verri

20 mins: Namibia in no rush at the lineout, trying to slow things down when they can. They lose their lineout, that’s not going to help.

And France have a penalty on halfway, pressure is relentless. Jalibert’s kick sends France back into the Namibia 22.

TRY FRANCE!

20:20 , Matt Verri

RIDICULOUS.

Absolutely incredible try from France... if it counts. A couple of passes that might well have been forward.

Dupont and Jalibert combining brilliantly out wide, flicking the ball inside and out. Ollivon strolls over.

And it does count! Magic. Ramos adds the extras, France lead 19-0.

20:17 , Matt Verri

15 mins: Knock-on from France at the lineout, that’s the one part of their game that hasn’t looked particularly solid so far.

Scrum from Namibia, they do well to get the ball out quickly because the drive from the French pack was huge.

20:14 , Matt Verri

12 mins: Namibia send the pass straight out of play. All a bit ragged now.

And here come France again, Fickou skipping away from the challenges and he’s flying into the 22. Brought down just in front of the 5m line.

That’s good work from van der Westhuizen at the breakdown though, wins a penalty for his side to ease the pressure.

20:12 , Matt Verri

Ramos from the other touchline, curls the conversion between the posts.

Ten minutes played, France lead 12-0 and are already halfway to the bonus point. Ominous start.

TRY FRANCE!

20:10 , Matt Verri

Sensational!

We’ll have a TMO check though - chorus of boos.

Another kick, this time Bielle-Biarrey the man to get on the end of it. Can’t quite keep himself in play, so flings the pass inside and Danty is there to touch it down.

Try given! 10-0 it is.

20:08 , Matt Verri

7 mins: Ramos unable to add the extras from a tight angle, so just the 5-0 lead for France.

That was ruthless though, first visit to the 22 and they come away with a try.

TRY FRANCE!

20:07 , Matt Verri

6 mins: Here we go though. French penalty in the Namibian half, home fans approve of the decision to go for the corner. Good from Jalibert, his side will have a lineout 5m out.

Claimed, French maul is stumbling towards the line. Dupont spins away with the ball, crossfield kick finds Penaud on the bounce.

He has a relatively simple task to go over in the corner. Les Blues up and running.

20:05 , Matt Verri

4 mins: French lineout not the best either, it isn’t straight and it will be a scrum for Namibia.

Really solid from the underdogs too, who have made a pretty confident start in Marseille. Still very early days, mind...

20:02 , Matt Verri

2 mins: Frantic start. Namibia lineout just outside the French 22, they lost it and Les Blues threaten to immediately cause problems with ball in hand.

Wide to Penaud, he tries to launch the kick into space but instead lobs it straight to Van den Berg. Very generous.

KICK-OFF!

20:00 , Matt Verri

We’re up and running!

Here we go!

19:56 , Matt Verri

Serious noise as the players walk out onto the pitch, brilliant atmosphere in Marseille.

It’s a special stadum - almost time to find out if we get a special performance to go with it.

First though... the anthems.

Ntamack supporting his team-mates

19:50 , Matt Verri

As good as this French side is, they are without Romain Ntamack.

The fly-half suffered an ACL injury last month in a warm-up match against Scotland, one that ended his hopes of starring at a World Cup on home soil.

He’s in attendance tonight...

Not long now!

19:42 , Matt Verri

Kick-off coming up in Marseille in just under 20 minutes.

Reminder that France have a fortnight between this match and their final Pool A fixture against Italy, so their full focus will very much be on Namibia.

That’s not great news for the African side...

Yes it will...

19:35 , Matt Verri

Italy lead the way

19:29 , Matt Verri

Reminder that it is actually Italy who top Pool A, with all five nations have played twice.

France second in the pool with eight points, they haven’t picked up a bonus point in either of their opening victories.

Only problem for Italy is that they still have to face New Zealand and Italy...

Namibia head coach emphasises challenge his side face...

19:26 , Matt Verri

Dupont: We are now ready

19:19 , Matt Verri

Antoine Dupont is confident a rested French side can produce their best rugby tonight.

Les Blues made 12 changes for an unconvincing win over Uruguay, but will be hoping the return of their stars brings a return to top-form.

“I’m happy to play. We were several players who needed to recuperate (after the New Zealand game) and we are now ready to deliver, in terms of result and performance,” Dupont said.

One-way traffic...

19:09 , Matt Verri

Two defeats for Namibia so far at the tournamennt - two heavy defeats.

They were beaten 52-8 by Italy, before New Zealand eased to a 71-3 victory last time out.

Now, Namibia, who have made nine changes themselves, come up against what is close to a full-strength French side.

Ominous.

In the building!

19:03 , Matt Verri

Dupont magic in store?

18:50 , Matt Verri

Last night in Pool A...

18:39 , Matt Verri

Italy recovered from a first-half scare as they scored 31 unanswered second-half points to overwhelm Uruguay 38-17 in their Rugby World Cup Pool A game on Wednesday and claim a second consecutive bonus-point win.

Uruguay led 17-7 at the break and were dreaming of a huge upset after a remarkable first half that began well for Italy with a try by Lorenzo Pani but then went badly wrong.

After a penalty try and yellow cards for Niccolo Cannone and Danilo Fischetti, Nicolas Freitas, who scored in last weekend’s 27-12 defeat by France, squeezed in for a second try and Felipe Etcheverry, who missed two penalty attempts, converted it and then landed a drop goal for a shock lead.

Uruguay captain Andres Vilaseca was the next into the sin-bin early in the second half and Italy took full advantage with four tries in 15 minutes by Michele Lamaro, Montanna Ioane, Cannnone and Ignacio Brex as the South Americans tired.

Italy top the Pool A standings with 10 points but still have to play France and New Zealand.

Galthie talks up flexible France

18:29 , Matt Verri

France head coach Fabien Galthie explained his decision to shuffle his pack once again, insisting “adaptability” it key to Les Blues’ World Cup bid.

There were 12 changes for the win over Uruguay last time out, and another 12 for this match as France move back towards the side that beat New Zealand in the tournament oponer.

“Our method is based on adaptability,” Galthie said. “We adapt according to deadlines. It’s Darwin’s theory - the most intelligent species adapts.

“We hear a lot of talk about team compositions. It’s important to remember that we compose our teams on a weekly basis.

“We have a vision of the preparation, rotation, we look at performances, we need everyone.

“The match against the All Blacks was clearly identified. The match was a success for the group, not just for the team. For the match against Uruguay, those who had played the All Blacks needed to recover.”

More of the same?

18:21 , Matt Verri

France faced Namibia at the 2007 World Cup - they were hosts at that tournament too.

Toulouse hosted the match, with Les Blues powering to an 87-10 win. Wouldn’t be a surprise if we saw a similar scoreline tonight...

Ramos: We must respect Namibia

18:12 , Matt Verri

France are expected to pick up a huge win tonight, but full-back Thomas Ramos has urged Les Blues to ensure there is no complacency or sloppy play despite the gulf in class.

“Above all, we want to enjoy it, while paying due respect to Namibia,” Ramos said.

“We want to score points and tries, but that will come through respecting our game and each other.

“We have to be patient. Even if they’re a weaker team on paper, we’re not going to win by giving the ball away. We also want to improve our attacking systems. That’s our target for the match.”

Stage is set!

18:04 , Matt Verri

Standard Sport prediction

17:58 , Matt Verri

Galthie would not have been pleased with a heavily-rotated team’s rather lacklustre efforts against Uruguay and it’s not a surprise to see him go back to almost full strength here with a nice break before the Pool A finale against Italy in Lyon on October 6.

He will be looking for another statement victory from his big guns after New Zealand put 71 points on Namibia last time out.

Namibia don’t lack for spirit and determination, but the gulf in class is enormous and they will be in damage limitation mode from the outset once again, no doubt targeting the meeting with Uruguay next Wednesday as their chance to finally impress before heading home.

They’ve never won a World Cup game despite appearing at every tournament since 1999 and that definitely won’t change here. Indeed, Namibia would do very well to keep a strong France side to less than 70 tonight.

France to win by at least 60 points.

Namibia team news

17:52 , Matt Verri

For Namibia, centre Le Roux Malan is out after suffering a horrendous fractured and dislocated ankle against New Zealand.

Danco Burger takes his place in midfield, with former South Africa coach Allister Coetzee making nine changes to the team that were brushed aside by the All Blacks.

Cliven Loubser moves from full-back to fly-half, while Johan Retief moves to the flank and Prince Gaoseb lines up at No8.

Namibia XV: Van der Bergh; Mouton, Deysel (c), Burger, Greyling; Loubser, Theron; Sethie, Van der Westhuizen; Coetzee, Tjeriko; Ludick, Katjijeko, Retief, Gaoseb

Replacements: Nortje, Benade, Shifuka, Van Lill, Hardwick, Blaauw, Izaacs, Rossouw

France team news

17:45 , Matt Verri

After ringing the changes against Uruguay, France have brought back their big names to face Namibia with only Italy left to come next in two weeks’ time in Pool A.

There are 12 changes in total from that surprisingly hard-fought victory in Lille, with impressive young Bordeaux wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey retaining his starting spot along with back-rower Anthony Jelonch - who skippered France on his return from a serious knee injury last week - and lock Cameron Woki.

10 of the starting XV lined up against the All Blacks on opening night, with regular captain and star Antoine Dupont returning along with goal-kicker Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Matthieu Jalibert, Uini Atonio, Thibaud Flament, Francois Cros and Charles Ollivon.

Jonathan Danty is back from injury and starts at centre, likewise first-choice loosehead prop Cyril Baille. Peato Mauvaka deputises for injured hooker Julien Marchand, as he did so well off the bench on opening night.

One notable absentee for France is star back-rower Gregory Alldritt, who is not being risked with Jelonch sticking at No8 instead.

France XV: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarry; Jalibert, Dupont (c); Baille, Mauvaka, Atonio; Woki, Flament; Cros, Ollivon, Jelonch

Replacements: Bourgarit, Wardi, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Boudehent, Couilloud, Moefana, Jaminet

How to watch France vs Namibia

17:39 , Matt Verri

TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be broadcast live and free to air on ITV4, with coverage starting at 7:15pm.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the action live online via the ITV website and ITVX app.

Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us!

Good evening!

17:31 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of France vs Namibia!

The hosts are back in action at the Rugby World Cup and it should be a stroll to a third win a row for them, top spot in Pool A already looking pretty much secured.

For Namibia, this challenge tonight is to keep the scoreline relatively respectable.

We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 8pm BST from the Stade Velodrome.