Wales managed this Sunday to go to the semifinals of the rugby World Cup by defeating France 20-19 , in a very balanced game and with a very physical game that was decided in the last five minutes.
The meeting, in the southwestern city of Oita, was the third to be played in the quarter-final round that began this Saturday, in the absence of the last clash, which Japan and South Africa will face this Sunday in Tokyo.
The first rehearsal was for France, in minute 4, after strong pressure from the offensive gala that crowned the second line Sebastien Vahaamahina , with failure to convert the opening Romain Ntamack (0-5).
It did not take Les Bleus to get his second rehearsal, in a beautiful play by the center that completed with a long run through the central zone the wing of the open side Charles Ollivon (m.8, 0-10) and successful conversion of Ntamack.
But Wales reacted and in the 12th minute, wing Aaron Wainwright took advantage of a French defense error and ran alone to the test line to score (5-12), and the opening Dan Biggard added the two additional points.
Wales decided to shorten distances with a penalty in the 19th minute that Biggar scored (10-12), which left the game with a minimal difference by closing the fourth part of a very balanced match.
About thirty minutes later, the referee, South African Jaco Peyper , penalized Ross Moriarty with a yellow card, who had just entered the field in replacement of number eight Josh Navidi.
France took advantage of the fact that Wales was left without a player for ten minutes with a breakthrough on the left side that ended with rehearsal of the Virimi Vakatawa outside center (m.31, 10-17) and Ntamack conversion.
Already near the break, Ntamack tried to add three points with a penalty, but the oval ball was rejected by the right post.
Shortly after the start of the second part, France lost the rest of the game to Vahaamahina , author of the first trial, when he was ejected with a red card for grabbing Wainwright's neck and finishing off the aggression with an elbow in his jaw.
Biggar again shortened distances for Wales with a penalty that he successfully converted in the 53rd minute (13-19).
The game entered a phase of great balance and strong physical rivalry, but the Welsh pressure paid off in the 74th minute, amid a struggle for the ball that Ross Moriarty finally took , and Biggar added two points (20-19).
That rehearsal allowed Wales to stand ahead of the scoreboard for the first time in the match, and only five minutes from the end.
However, despite Les Bleus' attempts to scratch some additional point, they failed in the attempt, and were eliminated from the World Cup.
With this victory, Wales will face next weekend the winner of the last quarterfinal match, between Japan and South Africa .
In the previous eight editions of the World Cup, Wales has moved to the semifinals in two tournaments (1987 and 2011), but the most it has achieved is a third place in 1987.
On Saturday, England and New Zealand have already qualified, which will play the first semifinal next Saturday, in Yokohama , south of Tokyo.
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