All Black and Bleu

French forced to battle for home relief

DAMIAN PENAUD went from villain to hero to give France a winning start to their World Cup and send the host nation into raptures.

The son of former Saracens star Alain was at fault for both New Zealand tries and spilled one of his own.

But with the All Blacks eyeing a shock victory, he linked with Matthieu Jalibert to steal the prize back for the French.

The relief was tangible as for long periods it had felt Les Bleus were being crushed by the weight of expectation.

Hosts, favourites, everyone's second team, they froze in a red-hot atmosphere.