Damian Penaud joined the ranks of Philippe Sella as the fourth highest scorer in the history of the French XV, after scoring thirty tries in the Blues jersey. This achievement came about during the second half (55 minutes in) of the game against the All Blacks, contributing to the Blues’ victory (27-13) and the commencement of the World Cup in France. However, despite these accomplishments, Penaud did not entirely live up to the expectations of the French coaching team, as noted by attack coach Laurent Labit during a video meeting with the media on Saturday morning.
Labit commented that while Penaud is an adept athlete and player, who excels offensively and can manage unclear situations, there is still room for improvement. Penaud’s tendency to keep the ball in two turnover situations, rather than passing it, can throw other players off their game. There are also defensive areas Penaud could improve upon. He’s an extraordinary scorer, hitting 70% of his potential at the international level, but he knows there’s still work to be done.
This critique serves as a motivation for Penaud, who has been an integral player since Fabien Galthié’s tenure began. In the match against New Zealand, Penaud, who recently joined Union Bordeaux-Bègles, missed a try in the 53rd minute when the ball was knocked out of his grip. He was also implicated in the All Blacks’ two tries, scored by Mark Telea, both of which came from his wing. Penaud even paused momentarily during the second try to argue for a forward pass, but to no avail.
Now, the former Clermont winger is only two tries away from matching Philippe Saint-André, the third highest scorer in Blues history with 32 tries. However, he’s still quite far from catching up to Serge Blanco’s impressive 38 tries. Penaud has shown promise previously, having scored a double against Australia and another try against Scotland during the summer preparations.
