France beats Japan 42-15 in Nations Championship rugby as Lucu tallies 15 points

TOKYO (AP) — Matthieu Jalibert and hooker Maxime Lamothe scored two tries each and skipper Maxime Lucu tallied 15 points from five conversions and a try in an influential performance to lead France to a 42-15 win over Japan on Saturday in the Nations Championship.

Japan matched France physically in the first half and trailed 28-15 at halftime but lost touch on the scoreboard after conceding two tries early in the second.

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Teammates celebrate a try by France’s Matthieu Jalibert, second from right, during a Nations Championship rugby match between Japan and France in Tokyo, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

France’s Matthieu Jalibert, right, is challenged by Japan’s Ryunosuke Ito during a Nations Championship rugby match between Japan and France in Tokyo, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

France’s Emmanuel Meafou, second from right, is tackled during a Nations Championship rugby match between Japan and France in Tokyo, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

France’s Maxime Lucu scores a try during a Nations Championship rugby match between Japan and France in Tokyo, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

It was a successful three-week tour for the Six Nations champion French, who were coming off a 42-26 win over Australia in Brisbane last week after opening the new 12-team tournament with a 34-32 loss to the All Blacks in New Zealand.

Japan finished the first phase of the Nations Championship with consecutive losses to Ireland and France after opening the tournament with a 27-10 win over Italy.

At the National Stadium in Tokyo, the French opened the scoring in the second minute when hooker Lamothe drove over after a close-range lineout.

Japan gained a one-point lead with fullback Takuro Matsunaga kicking a penalty goal and then sparking a long-range counter-attacking try from his own quarterline that was finished in the left corner by winger Kippei Ishida in 15th.

France regained the ascendancy over the next 20 minutes, rebounding with tries to fullback Jalibert in the 19th after sustained forward pressure, which resulted in a yellow card for Japan lock Harry Hockings, and No. 8 Alexandre Roumat in the 23rd.

Skipper and scrumhalf Lucu darted over after a strong run into contact from his hooker Lamothe and touched down on the half-hour to score France’s fourth try, securing a bonus competition point.

After narrowly missing a try in the right corner, Japan cut the margin to 13 points with a try four minutes before the break.

France scored early again in the second half, with Jalibert scoring in the 43rd when he changed running angles and took a short pass on Lucu’s inside shoulder and crossed near the posts.

Lamothe scored again in the 51st minute, after sustained forward pressure from the big French pack, it was 42-15 and a much bigger margin seemed ominous.

But Jalibert was yellow carded for a high tackle in the 58th and, although Japan wasn’t able to turn the one-man advantage into a try in the 10 minutes, it stopped France’s momentum.

Japan had a try disallowed in the 63rd and didn’t score in the second half of a hot and humid evening.

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PARIS (AP) — A hundred years ago, Paris erected a monumental mosque to honor Muslim soldiers from French colonies who fought in World War I. It’s now an integral part of the capital’s bustling Latin Quarter, and as it celebrates its centenary, worshippers are reflecting on being Muslim in today’s France.

The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris sees it as a symbol of interfaith dialogue and France’s diversity, but worries about religious tensions in the country linked to conflicts in the Middle East and the polarizing campaign for next year’s presidential election.

“It’s the responsibility of everyone to see Muslims as a part of the national community,” Chems-eddine Hafiz told The Associated Press.

Visitors arriving for 100th anniversary prayers Friday included people from different regions around Paris, those born in France or those who came over the decades from Algeria, Senegal and beyond. Many trace their origins to France’s colonial empire.

The Paris City Hall’s official tourism website lists the mosque as a top attraction, calling its ornate, carpeted prayer room a “must-see.” Inspired by the Alhambra in Spain’s Granada, the mosque has a 33-meter (108-foot)-high minaret that overlooks the Seine River — complementing but not overshadowing the twin towers of nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. The mosque houses a popular tea room and hammam steam baths.

But most of all it is a place of worship and history.

French authorities wanted to honor the ‘’blood spilled″ during WWI by Muslim soldiers who died in trenches of Verdun and beyond to defend France, Hafiz said. Most came from colonies in Africa.

“When it was built, French President Gaston Doumergue made a declaration reminding us that France’s diversity could only reinforce its national community,” Hafiz said, calling it a ”beautiful message.”

“I believe the political will and the political message have remained unchanged” since 1926, he said. ‘’The problem lies in people’s attitudes. Today, anti-Muslim acts are still being committed against Muslims. Islam is often misunderstood, and talking about Muslims or Islam can trigger hostility.”

Islam is now the second religion in France, which has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. But the country’s Muslims often struggle to gain full acceptance and face discrimination. Stigmas against Muslims worsened after deadly Islamic extremist attacks in France over the past decade.

France is in the midst of a campaign for next year’s presidential election so far dominated by Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally, which has targeted Islam and immigration.

Fatma Chouchane, a volunteer at the Grand Mosque, lamented restrictions on women wearing Muslim headscarves in French schools and some workplaces.

“I ask France to leave these people alone” and let them make their religious choices, she said.

Like other worshippers at Friday’s prayers, however, she focused on messages of tolerance and celebrating the mosque anniversary.

“It’s a symbol, it is the Paris museum for Muslims,″ she said. ″We must all be in solidarity.″

For Ibrahima Seye, the mosque was one of the first places he visited after arriving in France from Senegal.

“It’s always open,” he said. “It’s good for the Muslim community, and I see that it’s a mosque that is appreciated by a lot of tourists, too.″

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton contributed to this report.