France beat Fiji 54-17 in Lyon on 7 November, scoring eight tries and earning an attacking bonus point, the Fédération Française de Rugby reported. The result kept France at the top of the northern hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship.
Bonus-point win opens France's home run
The federation said France entered the second part of the competition needing a win to preserve its position. The side delivered the result at Groupama Stadium, where the eight-try return also brought the attacking bonus point. The official report records the score and the tournament consequence together.
Fabien GALTHIÉ, identified as Sélectionneur-Entraîneur du XV de France in the federation's report, tempered the reaction. “Nous ne pouvons pas être totalement satisfaits de notre prestation,” he said. His comment acknowledged that the performance left room to improve despite a convincing scoreline.
Galthié also pointed ahead to South Africa. The coach described the Fiji match as a start to this phase of the competition, while stressing that France still had work to do in its remaining fixtures.
The next opponents are already set
SportsRivo checked the result report against the federation's separate season programme: the Fiji win opened France's November home sequence, with South Africa and Argentina still to come. The programme lists both matches at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
The Fédération Française de Rugby's season programme schedules South Africa at Stade de France on 13 November and Argentina there on 21 November. Galthié's remarks after the Fiji win therefore concern a confirmed run of matches, rather than a general ambition for later in the season.
What the result changes
- France keep the northern hemisphere lead that the federation identified before the Fiji match.
- The eight-try win brings an attacking bonus point into France's Nations Championship campaign.
- South Africa are the next scheduled opponents, giving France an immediate chance to address Galthié's reservations about the performance.
South Africa visit Saint-Denis next
South Africa are next in Saint-Denis, according to the federation's published programme. France then host Argentina before the competition's final weekend in London.