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France have surived a second half scare from debutants Greece to run out 34-12 winners at Doncaster. The strength of the French pack, made up entirely of Super League talent, was too much for the Greeks, though they rallied well and offered plenty in attack.
Maverick halfback Tony Gigot had a typically mercurial performance: the Toulouse man kicked several out on the full, but also created one superb try for halves partner Arthur Morgue and scored one himself.
Jordan Dezaria bullied his way over early, but France were forced to take a penalty goal later in the half, a huge show of respect to their opponents.
Gigot got himself on the scoresheet next, followed by Catalans backrower Ben Jullien on a crash ball close to the line.
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
The second half began strongly for the French, with Gigot producing a trademark piece of deception to pull Billy Magoulias out of the line and create space for Mathieu Laguerre, who found Morgue.
The Greek had been adventurous with the ball all night and eventually got their reward as captain Jordan Meads slipped a kick behind the line that winger Siteni Taukamo – only drafted into the squad as a late replacement – grounded for the Titans’ first try at a Rugby League World Cup.
Ben Jullien grabbed another before a classic piece of Magoulias magic, kicking for winger Nick Mougios, got another deserved try for Greece.
Doueihi and Milford cop bans
Adam Doueihi has been banned for Lebanon’s crucial clash with Ireland after being sent off in the Cedars’ opener against New Zealand.
There had been confusion with the five eighth far away from play when he was ordered off, but it has been confirmed that the red card was for abusive language, with reports that Doueihi said ‘Give us some fucking calls’ in protest against referee Grant Atkins.
The Match Review Panel gave Doueihi a one match ban, meaning that he will miss the make-or-break clash with Ireland next Sunday in Leigh. The Cedars need to win to stay in the tournament.
The other ban to emerge from the first sitting of the disciplinary was for Anthony Milford, who was binned in Samoa’s thrashing at the hands of England.
Milford caught Sam Tomkins with a late shot and will now miss their quest for redemption against Greece in Doncaster on Saturday night.
England’s huge Samoa win proves ratings hit
The decision to schedule England’s tournament opener with Samoa for Saturday afternoon has been vindicated with huge ratings on the BBC.
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A peak of over 1.8m households tuned in, with an average of 1.3m throughout the broadcast. For reference, that number is roughly equivalent to the Challenge Cup Final, traditionally the biggest audience of the year on free-to-air television for rugby league in the UK.
Next week is expected to be even higher, with the game slated for a 5pm start to catcher the higher evening viewership. The stadium in Bolton is nearing a sell out as the English public back their team in after a strong start.
Source by www.theroar.com.au
