France out of Rugby League World Cup after drop goal ruled out

After losing 78-4 to Samoa and 82-0 to England, France finally showed up at this World Cup, but still finished bottom of their group.

Trailing 8-6 at the break, France levelled at 18-18 through a solo try from Cesar Rouge with less than ten minutes left. A penalty put Lebanon back in front at 20-18. In the final seconds, Arthur Mourgue fielded the restart and landed a two-point drop goal from more than 40 metres: 20-20 and extra time.

A rule that changed everything

In the first period of extra time, Rouge slotted a drop goal from in front of the posts. France’s players flooded the pitch, but the referee went to review. Thomas Lacans had been in front of the kicker, acting as a blocker, so the point was ruled out. That is legal in Super League but not under the NRL rules used at this World Cup.

On the final play, Mourgue tried a chip from his own half. It stayed in the hands of Abbas Miski, who raced away to score.

“I was smiling 20 minutes ago and now I’m nearly crying,” coach Laurent Frayssinous told Serious About Rugby League. He called for a common rule book across competitions, while saying he was proud of his players after two first games he described as embarrassing. It was also Ben Garcia’s last game for France.

France leave the tournament with three defeats, 24 points scored and 184 conceded.