ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021

It's 30 years since France scored that epic 'Try of the Century' from beneath their posts

In March it will be 30 years since Twickenham witnessed perhaps the greatest try ever scored in Five Nations history as Philippe Saint-André slid under the posts following an epic coast-to-coast counter-attack.

ADVERTISEMENT

Coming into the final weekend of the tournament, both France and England had a shot at the Grand Slam after recording three victories apiece.

Coached by former player Daniel Dubroca, France arrived at Twickenham as something of outsiders up against the home side. England, who hadn’t won a Grand Slam since 1980, took the early lead through a Simon Hodgkinson penalty and the full back had a chance to double England’s lead soon after.`

What followed was a try which stunned the local crowd and subsequently was voted at Twickenham’s Try of the Century.

Scrum-half Pierre Berbizier gathered the ball behind the posts but instead of touching down in the in-goal area for a 22m drop-out, he launched an attack from behind his own line.

From then on, it was pure French Flair, with Captain Serge Blanco – in his last 5 Nations appearance for les bleus – feeding winger Jean-Baptiste Lafond who in turn released Philippe Sella down the wing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sella then interchanged with Didier Camberabero who collected his chip kick at the halfway line and instinctively launched another kick cross-field into swathes of space to leave Saint-André unchallenged to go in under the sticks.

It was a try which instantly became synonymous with French Flair and has since been replayed literally hundreds of times. France, despite this sensational score, went on to lose the match 21-19, as England picked up their first tournament clean-sweep for 11 years.

England, led by head coach Geoff Cooke, would beat France again later in the year during the quarter final stages of the Rugby World Cup. Unlike the Twickenham encounter, this was a ferocious, ugly physical battle.

ADVERTISEMENT

Having lost the match 19-10 in Paris, Dubroca controversially grabbed referee Dave Bishop and accused him of being a cheat, an incident which ultimately led Dubroca to resign, with the recently retired Berbizier taking over.

Comments




Related Articles

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Five of the best tries from the Investec...

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    The dummy that sold the whole of Perth -...

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Bayonne score 'one of the best tries you'll...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Five of the best tries from the Investec Champions Cup

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    The dummy that sold the whole of Perth - including the cameraman

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Bayonne score 'one of the best tries you'll ever see' in latest match against Exeter

  • 14 WEEKS AGO

    Baloucoune shows Andy Farrell what he's missing as the winger tears through Harlequins defence

  • 26 WEEKS AGO

    Seriously impressive Courtney Lawes compilation released after England player calls time on international career

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 4 HOURS AGO

    Debate rages on after Maro Itoje sent to bin for high shot

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Fiji Drua player Lomani slapped with ban following elbow attack

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    The sending off that rocked the Six Nations opener

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Wrecking ball beats 10 players to score full length of the pitch try

  • 22 WEEKS AGO

    Streaker causes major bust up as he tackles player

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Tickets now on sale as World XV set to face France in thrilling encounter

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    '60 metres, plus change' - massive drop goal stuns fans

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Referee makes 'tackle of the season' as he gets too close to the action

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Christian Wade proves he still has the X-factor with 50 metre mazy finish for Racing 92

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Magical sevens try leaves defender stuck in the mud

View All

Funnies

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    WATCH: The worst camera angle in rugby history

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Louis Rees-Zammit's real reason for NFL move exposed

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    George Ford falls victim to the kickers curse

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Awesome scenes as Blitzbok fan throws down at the HSBC SVNS

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    Mike Philips recounts crazy night Shane Williams tried to fight Warren Gatland

View All

Amateur

  • 67 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 68 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 91 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 91 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 91 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 12 HOURS AGO

    Statement: Owen Farrell to join World XV

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Jonny Gray to exit Exeter Chiefs with immediate effect

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Adam Radwan sets sights on Olympic honours

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Kyle Rowe’s remarkable journey from an Amazon warehouse to the international stage

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Bath Rugby bolster squad with another young signing

View All