World Cup 1995

Game 1

Wales 28 def. France 6

World Cup 1995
Game 1

Wales
28
6
France
Match Info
Match URL www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/7967
Status Completed
Date Monday, 9th October, 1995
Referee Eddie Ward
Venue Ninian Park (Cardiff)
Crowd 10,250
Wales Scoresheet France
Anthony SULLIVAN 3 T Patrick TORREILLES
John DEVEREUX      
Iestyn HARRIS      
 
Jonathan DAVIES 3 G Frederic BANQUET
Iestyn HARRIS      
Wales Teams France
Iestyn HARRIS
[Warrington]
1 FB 1 David DESPIN
John DEVEREUX
[Widnes]
2 W 2 Frederic BANQUET
[Sheffield]
Allan BATEMAN
[Cronulla/Warrington]
3 C 3 David FRAISSE
[Workington]
Scott GIBBS
[St Helens]
4 C 4 Pierre CHAMORIN
Anthony SULLIVAN
[St Helens]
5 W 5 Jean-Marc GARCIA
[Sheffield]
 
Jonathan DAVIES (c)
[North QLD/Warrington]
6 FE 6 Pascal FAGES
Kevin ELLIS
[Workington]
7 HB 7 Patrick ENTAT (c)
[Leeds]
 
Kelvin SKERRETT
[Wigan]
8 FR 8 Didier CABESTANY
Martin HALL
[Wigan]
9 HK 9 Patrick TORREILLES
David YOUNG
[Salford]
10 FR 10 Frederic TEIXIDO
Paul MORIARTY
[Halifax]
11 2R 11 Gael TALLEC
[Wigan]
Mark PERRETT
[Halifax]
12 2R 12 Pascal JAMPY
Richie EYRES
[Leeds]
13 L 13 Thierry VALERO
 
Mark JONES
[Warrington]
14 B 14 Vincent BANET
Adrian HADLEY
[Widnes]
15 B 15 Karl JAAVUO
Keiron CUNNINGHAM
[St Helens]
16 B 16 Brian COLES
Rowland PHILLIPS
[Workington]
17 B 17 Lilian HEBERT
 
Clive GRIFFITHS   HC   Ivan GRÉSÈQUE
   
 

Team Info

Wales

Previous Game:
[no comp] - vs. USA
Next Game:
World Cup 1995 - Game 3 vs. Western Samoa
Out:
Gareth Davies (fullback), Gerald Cordle (wing), Gavin Price-Jones (centre), Jason Lee (wing), Gareth Stephens (halfback), Scott Quinnell (second row), Richard Webster (bench), Ian Watson (bench), Ian Marlow (bench), Dave Williams (bench), Mark Sheals (bench), Mike Edwards (bench)
In:
John Devereux (wing), Allan Bateman (centre), Scott Gibbs (centre), Anthony Sullivan (wing), Jonathan Davies (five-eighth), Kevin Ellis (halfback), Kelvin Skerrett (front row), Martin Hall (hooker), Mark Perrett (second row), Richie Eyres (lock)
Changes:
Adrian Hadley (centre to bench), Iestyn Harris (five-eighth to fullback), Mark Jones (front row to bench), Keiron Cunningham (hooker to bench), Rowland Phillips (second row to bench), Paul Moriarty (lock to second row)

France

Previous Game:
[no comp] - vs. Canada
Next Game:
World Cup 1995 - Game 2 vs. Western Samoa
In:
David Despin (fullback), Frederic Banquet (wing), David Fraisse (centre), Pierre Chamorin (centre), Jean-Marc Garcia (wing), Pascal Fages (five-eighth), Patrick Entat (halfback), Didier Cabestany (front row), Patrick Torreilles (hooker), Frederic Teixido (front row), Gael Tallec (second row), Pascal Jampy (second row), Thierry Valero (lock), Vincent Banet (bench), Karl Jaavuo (bench), Brian Coles (bench), Lilian Hebert (bench)

Match Report

A hat-trick from the flying winger Anthony Sullivan crowned a clinical Welsh performance in which they disposed of the first of their group opponents. The St Helens player had been in some of the most prolific form of his career and against a defence which accorded him plenty of room to run, Sully was unstoppable.

But as with the European Championship, the foundations for the win were laid in the complete supremacy of the Welsh pack of forwards. Paul Moriarty was the best and gave a characteristic display of power. Their dominance allowed Ellis, driving at his best from scrum-half, and Davies to orchestrate the backs. Included in their ranks was Scott Gibbs, who made a solid international rugby league debut at centre.

Davies gave Wales the lead with two penalty goals and they were never really to be threatened. Iestyn Harris, destroying the French defence with his running game from fullback, set Sullivan up for two tries and Davies created his hat-trick. Harris scored an exciting individual try from just inside the French half and Devereux finished off the job with a try under the posts at the end.

Wales did have a couple of scares, the first being a nasty bang to captain Davies. The sight of him being helped from the field midway through the second half, not to return, was enough to send alarm bells going in the Welsh camp. They were then threatened with disciplinary action over an alleged substitution infringement. They had brought Bateman back from the blood bin to replace Davies, thinking Davies was being blood binned did not count as a substitution.

Fortunately the confusion was cleared up, and the mistake went unpunished. However just three days later, Western Samoa sent out a chilling warning by demolishing France 56-10 at the same venue. Qualification from the group was a big ask.

Source: WalesRL.co.uk

This match is a part of the following:

Contributions: Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson