FRANCE claimed their place in the World Cup semi-finals on Sunday when they quelled a valiant Argentina side to win a try-filled quarter-final 47-26 at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.
France raced into a 17-0 lead before Argentina battled back to trail just 30-26, only for the greater freshness of Jean-Claude Skrela’s side to show in the final 10 minutes.
Winger Philippe Bernat-Salles and full-back Xavier Garbajosa scored two tries apiece as France touched down five times in all, with fly-half Christophe Lamaison landing 22 points with the boot.
France face the winners of the New Zealand-Scotland quarter-final in the last four.
Argentina, for whom scrum-half Agustin Pichot was outstanding, took great credit for their fightback though and could have scored more than their two tries by Pichot and captain Lisandro Arbizu.
The half-time score was 27-20.