Latest news with #LeGarrec
The South African
3 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
All Blacks display shocking lack of depth in narrow win over France 'B'
New Zealand staved off a fierce challenge from France, pulling away late to win the third Test 29-19 on Saturday and complete a series clean sweep. The All Blacks took the lead for the first time with only 20 minutes remaining in Hamilton as the under-strength tourists faded in their last game of a long season, eventually conceding four tries to one. 'Stoked with that,' said All Blacks captain Ardie Savea, who conceded that his team had been in a battle. 'The French turned up tonight. Proud of the boys as well in sticking it out in that first half and then the second half we brought it home.' France's bigger forward pack and greater physical commitment helped them dominate the first half. The visitors led 10-0 early and then 19-10 on the stroke of half-time as a New Zealand side featuring 10 starting changes were forced into mistakes. 'Around our breakdown and our ball carries they were getting success around that. As a leader, I was guilty of that too,' admitted Savea. The hosts played with greater energy and largely dominated the second half, creating tries for forwards Du'Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, who were both making their first Test starts. 'We sharpened that up in the second half and were able to build phases and build pressure. We converted it into points,' added Savea. The victory sealed the series 3-0 against a touring team who were under-strength after coach Fabian Galthie chose to leave most of his first-choice players at home. 'I'm really proud of the boys, the effort we put in today,' said France lock Joshua Brennan. 'It's a shame we lost but we played against a great All Black team and I'm just proud of the performance.' France were highly competitive in the first Test which they lost 31-27 in Dunedin and in Hamilton, but they were well beaten 41-17 in the second Test in Wellington. 'These last two weeks, the way we've evolved our rugby as well, I'm really proud,' added Brennan. New Zealand have swept all five three-match series between the sides, also winning 3-0 in 1961, 1968, 2013 and 2018. France scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec crossed early for the first of his 16 points, darting down the blind side from a lineout drive. His conversion and a penalty goal put the visitors 10 points clear before All Blacks wing Will Jordan struck against the run of play, chasing down a clever kick from scrumhalf Cortez Ratima to score his 42nd try in 44 Tests. France scored in threes for the remainder of the half, through two more Le Garrec penalties and a drop-goal by flyhalf Antoine Hastoy. New Zealand closed to 19-17 when centre Anton Lienert-Brown slid across nearly three minutes after the half-time hooter had sounded, finishing a long phase of pressure. Le Garrec missed a penalty and Hastoy a drop-goal attempt during a tense, scoreless third quarter of the match. The home side edged ahead 22-19 when France failed to control a Damian McKenzie cross-kick and flanker Kirifi crossed for his first Test try. Kirifi had been promoted to the starting side just before kick-off when Luke Jacobson was ruled out with injury. Hooker McAlister had a moment to savour on debut off the bench when he supported a break by Jordie Barrett and ran 15 metres to score the final try to seal the match in the dying minutes. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Sport
- LeMonde
New Zealand beats France 29-19 to complete sweep of Test series
New Zealand staved off a fierce challenge from France, pulling away late to win the third Test 29-19 on Saturday, July 19, and complete a series clean sweep. The All Blacks took the lead for the first time with only 20 minutes remaining in Hamilton as the under-strength visitors faded in their last game of a long season, eventually conceding four tries to one. France's bigger forward pack and greater physical commitment helped them dominate the first half. The visitors led 10-0 early and then 19-10 on the stroke of half-time as a New Zealand side featuring 10 starting changes was forced into mistakes. The hosts played with greater energy to largely dominate the second half, creating tries for forwards Du'Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, who were both making their first Test starts. It sealed the series 3-0 against a touring team who were under-strength after coach Fabian Galthié chose to leave most of his first-choice players at home. The French were highly competitive in the first Test, which they lost 31-27, but they were well beaten 41-17 in the second Test in Wellington. New Zealand has swept all five three-match series between the sides, also winning 3-0 in 1961, 1968, 2013 and 2018. France scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec crossed early for the first of his 16 points, darting down the blind side from a lineout drive. His conversion and a penalty goal put the visitors 10 points clear before All Blacks wing Will Jordan struck against the run of play, chasing down a clever kick from scrum-half Cortez Ratima to score his 42 nd try in 44 Tests. France scored in threes for the remainder of the half, through two more Le Garrec penalties and a drop-goal to fly-half Antoine Hastoy. New Zealand closed to 19-17 when center Anton Lienert-Brown slid across nearly three minutes after the half-time hooter had sounded, finishing a long phase of pressure. Le Garrec missed a penalty and Hastoy a drop-goal attempt during a tense, scoreless third quarter of the match. The home side pushed ahead when France failed to control a Damian McKenzie cross-kick and flanker Kirifi crossed for his first Test try. Kirifi was promoted to the starting side just before kick-off when Luke Jacobson was ruled out with injury. Hooker McAlister had a moment to savour on debut off the bench when he supported a break by Jordie Barrett and ran 15 meters to score in the dying minutes.
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
French star Le Garrec apologises for diving incident
-France scrumhalf Nolann le Garrec has apologised after falling dramatically during a Top 14 match, an action widely criticised as simulation. The Racing 92 player dropped to the ground clutching his face after a minor collision with Perpignan prop Bruce Devaux at the weekend, prompting jeers from home fans when replayed on the stadium's screen. Referee Kevin Bralley simply instructed Le Garrec to continue playing. "I received a shoulder to the face and did not know if it was intentional," Le Garrec said in a statement to Midi Olympique. "After reviewing the images, I see this gesture was completely involuntary. I apologise to the match referees. "I did not want to disrespect anyone. It is not how I behave." Former referee Nigel Owens stated he would have shown Le Garrec a straight red card, while critics argued such exaggeration undermines concerns about genuine head injuries. Le Garrec suggested the match context had played a part in his actions. Racing had just seen Fijian wing Vinaya Habosi sent off for head contact, and they were trailing Perpignan by 11 points with 10 minutes to play. The Parisians ultimately went down 28-24 – a result that leaves them just four points above the relegation playoff zone with five rounds remaining. The incident adds to rugby's growing simulation controversies this season, despite laws explicitly prohibiting actions that might deceive officials or contradict "the spirit of good sportsmanship". In March, La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara likened Stade Francais flanker Romain Briatte to Brazilian footballer Neymar after Australian lock Will Skelton was sent off for a ruck clear-out. Earlier in the year, Bath and England centre Ollie Lawrence admitted he "probably could have carried on" following a head clash with Northampton's Alex Mitchell — though he denied any attempt to deceive officials. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Wales Online
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as shamed star issues statement and top Scarlets player announces exit
Tonight's rugby news as shamed star issues statement and top Scarlets player announces exit These are the rugby stories making headlines on Wednesday, April 23 Alex Craig of Scarlets (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) These are your rugby headlines on Wednesday, April 23 Star's public apology Nolann Le Garrec has issued a public apology after his actions in the weekend's game between Racing 92 and Perpignan were called out. France Scrum-half Le Garrec was seen to take a dive in an act of simulation deep into the second half of the clash between the two sides. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Le Garrec made a meal of a collision off the ball with prop Bruce Devaux. He went down clutching his face and remained on the turf for some time, with medics coming onto the field of play to treat him. Article continues below Replays, however, clearly showed very little contact was made and Le Garrec was rounded on by social media users, including former international referee Nigel Owens, who said he would have sent the number nine straight off for his actions. Le Garrec has now issued an apology through French newspaper Midi Olympique. 'I wanted to come back to the situation of my contact to the head and my inadequate reaction,' he said. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. 'At the time, I received a shoulder blow to the face from the Perpignan prop and I did not perceive at all if it was intentional or not. At the time, I do not know if it was nervousness on his part or not. 'At that moment of the match, the tension was high and we had just received a yellow card ourselves for contact to the head. In any case, I did not know how to react to this shoulder blow. 'After reviewing the images, I see that this gesture was completely involuntary on the part of the prop. I apologise to the match referees! I did not want to disrespect anyone. It is not in my habits.' Craig leaves Scarlets for Glasgow Alex Craig is leaving the Scarlets at the end of the season to return to Scotland. Dumfries-born Craig will join Glasgow for the start of the new campaign. In news that had been circulating for some time, the Scarlets' players' player of the season leaves west Wales after making 40 appearances for the Parc y Scarlets club. 'For me, coming back home is a massive opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in,' Craig said. 'I'm from Castle Douglas, and I've always kept a close eye on how Glasgow were doing as I supported the club when growing up. To see the club go from strength to strength in recent seasons has been so impressive, and they just keep getting better and better as a team. 'I know quite a lot of the boys from U20s and from Scotland duty; I grew up playing minis with Stafford [McDowall] too, his dad was my first rugby coach and we played together from when we were seven until about 14 or 15. Stafford's probably the one I spoke to the most when making the decision to move up here, but everyone I've spoken to has had nothing but good things to say about the club. 'I like to get myself involved in the game as much as I can, whether that's with ball in hand or being physical in defence. I just want to put my best foot forward, work hard and earn the respect of my teammates and coaches first and foremost – it's going to be exciting and I'm looking forward to getting started.' Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel added: 'Alex has been a hugely popular figure and I know that returning home means a great deal to him. I would like to thank him for all that he's given in the past two seasons. 'It has been great to see Alex return to the international stage whilst being with us and we know he will be putting everything into the final games of the season as we push for a place in the URC play-offs.' Wales Women clash pushed back 24 hours PA Staff Wales' final Women's Six Nations fixture against Italy in Parma has been put back 24 hours because of Pope Francis' funeral. The game was due to have kicked off just three hours after the Pope's funeral begins on Saturday, but Six Nations organisers have confirmed it has now been rescheduled for Sunday, at 1130 UK time. Wales have lost all four of their games in this season's tournament and will be consigned to the wooden spoon if they are beaten by Italy. Edinburgh's United Rugby Championship away fixture against Zebre Parma, meanwhile, has been brought forward from Saturday to Friday night. Article continues below 'The league expresses its condolences to all who mourn the loss of Pope Francis, and thanks all stakeholders for helping to support this change of schedule in such a speedy manner,' a URC spokesperson said.
The Star
23-04-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-French star Le Garrec apologises for diving incident
Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - France v Wales - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - January 31, 2025 France's Nolann Le Garrec misses a conversion REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes -France scrumhalf Nolann le Garrec has apologised after falling dramatically during a Top 14 match, an action widely criticised as simulation. The Racing 92 player dropped to the ground clutching his face after a minor collision with Perpignan prop Bruce Devaux at the weekend, prompting jeers from home fans when replayed on the stadium's screen. Referee Kevin Bralley simply instructed Le Garrec to continue playing. "I received a shoulder to the face and did not know if it was intentional," Le Garrec said in a statement to Midi Olympique. "After reviewing the images, I see this gesture was completely involuntary. I apologise to the match referees. "I did not want to disrespect anyone. It is not how I behave." Former referee Nigel Owens stated he would have shown Le Garrec a straight red card, while critics argued such exaggeration undermines concerns about genuine head injuries. Le Garrec suggested the match context had played a part in his actions. Racing had just seen Fijian wing Vinaya Habosi sent off for head contact, and they were trailing Perpignan by 11 points with 10 minutes to play. The Parisians ultimately went down 28-24 – a result that leaves them just four points above the relegation playoff zone with five rounds remaining. The incident adds to rugby's growing simulation controversies this season, despite laws explicitly prohibiting actions that might deceive officials or contradict "the spirit of good sportsmanship". In March, La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara likened Stade Francais flanker Romain Briatte to Brazilian footballer Neymar after Australian lock Will Skelton was sent off for a ruck clear-out. Earlier in the year, Bath and England centre Ollie Lawrence admitted he "probably could have carried on" following a head clash with Northampton's Alex Mitchell — though he denied any attempt to deceive officials. (Editing by Christian Radnedge)
