Harinordoquy ready for Springboks challenge

France's Imanol Harinordoquy is relishing a chance to face a Springbok side he regards as having the "nastiest" players in the world in Friday's Test.

Pumas sign off with second win over France

Argentina ended the World Cup the way they had started it, running in five tries to tame France 34-10 in an ill-tempered third-place playoff at the Parc des Princes on Friday.

Bad blood overshadows France-Argentina play-off

France and Argentina clash on Friday in a World Cup third place play-off overshadowed by simmering French resentment at their opening night shock defeat to the Pumas five weeks ago. That 17-12 embarrassment threatened to send the hosts' campaign into freefall before they righted their listing ship with a spectacular quarterfinal win over the All Blacks.

France stun NZ to reach Cup semifinal

France upset the odds in dramatic style to come from behind and beat tournament favourites New Zealand 20-18 in the World Cup quarterfinal at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday. For the All Blacks, 13-0 up as early as the 30th minute, defeat was arguably as devastating as their equally unexpected 43-31 loss to France in the 1999 World Cup semifinal at Twickenham.

French press bring guillotine down on Les Bleus

An unforgiving French media gave no quarter in its appraisal of a "catastrophic" France team after the World Cup hosts' shock defeat to Argentina here on Friday. France lost the tournament's opening match 17-12 to the Pumas -- a result which has severely dented their chances of even reaching the final four of the competition.

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