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

France defeated Japan 42-15 on Saturday in the Nations Championship rugby, with skipper Maxime Lucu contributing 15 points via five conversions and a try. Matthieu Jalibert and hooker Maxime Lamothe each scored two tries, and despite Japan trailing only 28-15 at halftime, France pulled away after scoring two early tries in the second half. Japan concluded the first phase of the Nations Championship with back-to-back losses to Ireland and France, having previously beaten Italy 27-10 to open the tournament.