Shades of GF magic in Greece's freakish try

2 years ago 71

Greece's bid to triumph their debut World Cup lucifer came up abbreviated with a 34-12 nonaccomplishment to France, but they'll beryllium capable to bent their chapeau connected 1 of the tries of the tournament.

A French coaching unit that includes Roosters brag Trent Robinson would person been pleased with the showing, adjacent knowing that a triumph was captious successful their bid to scope the quarter-finals, with games against England and Samoa inactive to come.

It took 8 minutes for prop Jordan Dezaria to drawback the opener, with four-pointers to Tony Gigot and Alrix Da Costa pursuing soon after.

Les Bleus had raced to a 20-0 pb wrong 35 minutes and cruised to the decorativeness line, but Greece added 2 clever tries precocious on, the second an aboriginal contender for effort of the tournament.

"We've been ruthless successful the archetypal half, and past controlled the game," manager Laurent Frayssinous said afterwards.

Frayssinous was joined by the Roosters supercoach, who was appointed arsenic FFRXIII manager of rugby successful 2020.

"I similar our work, I thought we worked truly hard, I truly enjoyed the forwards, I felt similar they controlled the ruck truly good and got implicit the vantage enactment well," Robinson said.

"I thought it was rather clinical. We tried immoderate worldly that we've been moving on, and there's a spot of enactment to do."

In the dying embers of the match, Billy Magoulias kicked cross-field from heavy successful his ain half, perfectly uncovering the thorax of Nick Mougios who sold 2 defenders with an in-and-away and streaked wide to the line.

Jets triumph Canterbury Cup with other clip try

Magoulias had produced a akin play successful other clip of the 2019 NSW Cup final, erstwhile winger Tyrone Phillips caught the shot and threw it backmost connected the wrong for Will Kennedy to contention distant and seal victory.

Greece had tried 4 oregon 5 kicks from their ain fractional during the contention with varied success, but this 1 went precisely arsenic planned.

It was a bully tonic for their fans astatine the extremity of a frustrating contest, which loomed apt arsenic their champion accidental of pinching a triumph successful their debut tournament.

Coached by Magpies large Steve Georgallis, Greece came into this tourney arsenic steadfast underdogs successful Group A, boasting minimal NRL acquisition speech from Magoulias, Souths' duo Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos, and Bulldogs prop Billy Tsikrikas.

Georgallis said the accidental to play and bid unneurotic similar different nonrecreational teams had been a large quality betwixt the 2 teams, but said that the programme is lone going to inclination upwards with much involvement and investment.

"I can't beryllium much arrogant of the boys, the effort they enactment in," the manager said afterwards.

"You saw however overmuch it meant to them to play for Greece, and arsenic I've said before I anticipation it's a stepping chromatic for rugby league to footwear disconnected successful Greece.

"They emotion playing the game, present that they can. I deliberation it's lone upwards from here."

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