"Encouraging" proclaimed L'Equipe's front page. They might as well have asked, "Crisis? What crisis?" Yet, to the neutral observers, a far from convincing victory over a side that had lost their previous eight matches hardly suggested that France, as their captain Raphael Ibanez, claimed, are "back on the road to success".
This group, arguably the easiest of the five, should provide the French - given their partisan home support - with a six-lane motorway comfort drive. The real test will come when, and if, they reach the racetrack circuits and chicanes along with the genuine tournament contenders.
Winning, in itself, was encouraging for France, who had conceded 108 points in losing their three summer matches in Tonga, New Zealand and Wales. But serious defensive flaws remain. Canada's scrum-half Morgan Williams twice left the back row for dead, forcing France's coach JeanClaude Skrela to admit that "we lacked concentration getting back into position, which was unpardonable at this level". Quite.
Perhaps the most interesting observation came from Pat Parfrey, his opposite number. Having met Wales, England and France within little more than a month, he rated England as their most formidable opponent. "Today France were staccato," he said. "Stop, start, stop, start. It was a back-handed compliment to us, I felt, that they were forced then to change their game plan."
Fifty-six minutes into the match, after Williams's second try moved Canada to 17-18, Skrela switched an unimpressive Thomas Castaignede to full back and brought on Christophe Lamaison at out-half. From then on France, if not entirely rhythmic in their play, at least showed some clarity of purpose behind the scrum.
A subtle switch pass from Lamaison almost got Richard Dourthe over and the French attack was rewarded four minutes from time when Emile Ntamack crossed.
Abdelatif Benazzi and Olivier Magne ensured that France were spared further embarrassment yet, collectively, the pack rarely convinced. Still, France should have no problems with Namibia on Friday.
Glas, chasing Xavier Garbajosa's clever in-field chip, and Magne claimed France's first half tries with Dourthe kicking two penalties and a conversion. Williams replied for Canada with Gareth Rees kicking a penalty and conversion.
Garbajosa was credited with France's third try after Lamaison and Christophe Juillet combined to set up a powerful forward surge following a quickly-taken penalty.
SCORERS: France: Tries: Glas, Magne, Garbajosa, Ntamack. Conversions: Dourthe 2. Penalties: Dourthe 3. Canada: Tries: Williams 2. Conversions: Rees, Ross. Penalties: Rees, Ross.
FRANCE: Mola, Garbajosa, Dourthe, Glas, Dominici, T. Castaignede, Mignoni, Califano, Ibanez, Tournaire, Benazzi, Pelous, Lievremont, Magne, Juillet. Replacements: N'Tamack for Garbajosa (73), Lamaison for Mola (56), S. Castaignede for Mignoni (78), Mallier for Lievremont (78), Brouzet for Pelous (73). Replacements: Not Used: Soulette, Dal Maso.
CANADA: Stewart, Stanley, Lougheed, Bryan, Smith, Rees, Williams, Snow, Dunkley, Thiel, Tait, James, Hutchison, Baugh, Charron. Replacements: Ross for Rees (40), Graf for Williams (74), Schmid for Tait (71), Banks for Hutchison (63), Bice for Thiel (55). Replacements Not Used: Cardinal, Nichols.
Referee: B Campsall (England).
