As France rugby team gears up to play against South Africa, they are undergoing practice matches back at home. This weekend there was a practice match where they played against the Pirates. The Pirates Rugby club was able to play against France and the latter has used it as practice. The Pirates Rugby Club was honored to host the national team for the practice game. The national team is gearing up to play in a three Test series matches against the Springboks.
Of course the Les Chanticleers were able to crush the local club quite easily and players like Jonathan Danty were found to be tackling the ball around. For the Pirates it was a good practice as they got to play against the best team of France. There were sports blogs that cataloged the game, from the warm up session to how Rabah Slimani played for the national team.
There were Pirates fans and French expats who attended the match held on 3rd June. However, there was not much of media coverage and the game was quietly organized. There were fun moments like Virimi Vakatawa taking the ball towards the try line or Kevin Gourdon being brought down by Francois Nicholas.
There was no need to record scores, but when the Pirates did try to break away the crowd went wild which sounded as if the Pirates had gained victory. Francois stated that it was exhilarating playing against the French as they were very fast, probably because of the cycling they do. The Pirates Rugby Club definitely put in their best to play against the national team of France. After the game was over, there were autographs to sign as well as beer that was served and enjoyed among the players. The practice sessions are required as it is felt that the Springboks team would be formidable.