Pool D/France 87 Namibia 10:France returned to one of their southern heartlands and will go back to Paris the better for it. At times this was like watching Toulouse rather than les Bleus of Bernard Laporte, which is hardly surprising given the infusion of youth, zest and speed of eight Toulouse players in the starting line-up reinvigorated the Dad's Army that had malfunctioned on opening night.

"C'est vraiment grave, docteur," had run the L'Équipe headline in assessing Ireland's poor health, but, as expected, this was just what the doctor ordered for l'équipe francais. The escape from their "Marcatraz" base to the Toulouse rugby furnace had seen the pink city rally to the cause.

Even before kick-off, in the more colourful support, and in the way le Stadium rocked to chants of "Allez les Bleus" and in the rendition of La Marseillaise, it felt like a proper rugby crowd.

After a burning-hot day when the temperatures reached over 30 degrees, throughout a carnival-like night, the bands played almost continuously as the tries flowed before the crowd demanded the players' return for a farewell love-in.

From the kick-off the home team, actually les blancs on the night, made their intentions clear. The unfortunate Namibians felt the full brunt of French anger and desire for redemption, and no matter the early spate of handling errors (including three in a row by David Marty), France married physical intensity and rapid-fire clearing out with more offloads in the opening quarter than Ireland tried in their laboured win over Georgia.

As ever, Frederic Michalak was at the hub of it all with his full repertoire of tricks, along with a sliced touchfinder which helped Namibia to their only try and a plain daft pass to ground across his own dead-ball line.

But forwards and backs alike ran onto the ball from depth with stunning lines, taking the ball in front of them. Vincent Clerc's razor-sharp finishing gave Laporte another selectorial headache in his back three, as did a seismic, stunning brace by the truly iconic and talismanic Sebastien Chabal.

There were 13 tries, the razor-sharp Jean-Baptiste Elissalde converting all but two of them, and it could easily have been a century.

The only blemishes were the late departure of replacement Fabien Pelous with an apparent knee injury (although the brace of tries apiece for the two locks underlined their greater mobility), which meant they finished with 14 men, and a late try for Bratley Langenhoven courtesy of an intercept pass by the other Toulouse sub and legend, Yannick Jauzion, which won't have done his mood much good.

Namibia weren't helped by the early loss of outhalf Emile Wessels moments after his well-taken drop goal, although 21-year-old fullback Tertius Losper stepped into the void with some élan.

But the more damaging wound was self-inflicted. Number eight Jacques Nieuwenhuis set off on a mission of destruction and prompt self-destruction when, having been warned twice already by Alain Rolland for high tackles, he was red-carded for a third, high, stiff-arm assault on Chabal, probably to protect the French players from a trek to hospital.

By then, the Toulouse back three had instigated a counterattack which culminated in Cedric Heymans scoring off Marty's pass, and Marty had scored after Michalak's cheekily disguised pass to Thierry Dusautoir had opened up the Namibians. Dusautoir was mauled over off a lineout, and lock Lionel Nallet straightened through weak defending twice, either side of Elissalde's sharp feet and Heymans's visionary pass put Clerc round the cover to make it 40-3 at the break.

After a Julien Bonnaire pushover try, Elissalde followed up his break and Michalak's fingertip offload to crosskick a penalty for Chabal to score.

Incredibly, better followed. Running back a 60-metre penalty attempt by Losper, the Toulouse backs cut loose, before Chabal ran onto Michalak's pass on half-way and sped through two retreating defenders, and took two more over the line in a barnstorming 50-metre try beyond the remit of any other lock on this or any other planet.

Elissalde helped himself to one, as did Raphael Ibanez, either side of Clerc exhibiting his finishing skills with another two. In fact, he had a fourth touchdown wrongly not awarded.

Oh yeah, and they've started 27 players in two matches.

They have a squad, and this restorative pick-me-up underlined the value of that basic concept, adopted everywhere but by one country. France could still be flaky under pressure if Ireland can apply the pressure. Otherwise, be afraid, be very afraid.

SCORING SEQUENCE: 7 mins: Heymans try 5-0; 10: Wessels drop-goal, 5-3. 11: Marty try, Elissalde con 12-3; 21: Dusautoir try, Elissalde con 19-3; 32: Nallet try, Elissalde con 26-3; 38: Clerc try, Elissalde con 33-3; 40: Nallet try, Elissalde con 40-3; (half-time 40-0); 47: Bonnaire try, Elissalde con 47-3; 49: Chabal try, Elissalde con 54-3; 54: Chabal try, Elissalde con 61-3; 56: Elissalde try, con 68-3; 59: Clerc try, Elissalde con 75-3; 65: Clerc try, Elissalde con 82-3; 75: Ibanez try 87-3; 79: Langenhoven try, Losper con 87-10.

FRANCE: C Poitrenaud; V Clerc, D Marty, D Traille, C Heymans; F Michalak, J-B Elissalde (capt); J-B Poux, D Szarzewski, P de Villiers, S Chabal, L Nallet, Y Nyanga, T Dusautoir, J Bonnaire. Replacements: N Mas for de Villiers (half-time), Y Jauzion for Traille (50 mins), I Harinordoquy for Nyanga (54 mins), R Ibanez for Szarzewski, F Pelous for Chabal (both 58 mins), L Beauxis for Michalak (63 mins), A Rougerie for Poitrenaud (66 mins).

NAMIBIA: T Losper; R Witbooi, B Langenhoven, P van Zyl, H Bock; E Wessels, J van Tonder; K Lensing (capt), H Horn, J du Toit, W Kazombiaze, N Esterhuize, M Mackenzie, J Burger, J Nieuwenhuis. Replacements: L-W Botes for Wessels (12 mins), E Jantjies for van Tonder (41 mins), T du Plessis for Burger (57 mins), J Redelinghuys for Lensing (59 mins), H Lindvelt for Esterhuize (61 mins), J Meyer for Horn, M Africa for van Zyl (both 64 mins).

Sent off: Nieuwenhuis (20 mins).

Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).