The Latest: France working on second half slumps

TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on Day 19 at the Rugby World Cup (all times local):

3:40 p.m.

France must iron out its inconsistencies at the Rugby World Cup before facing England in their table-topping Pool C decider on Saturday.

That’s the view of scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who has highlighted where the French lineup has made its most errors in the three group games so far.

“There are a few things to look at,” Dupont said. “The problems persist. We made handling errors and the set-pieces were not always reliable.”

France led comfortably against Argentina, the United States, and Tonga before getting reeled back in each game.

“We missed the control that would have allowed us to be more comfortable, but we were never in real trouble or very worried,” Dupont said. “Our defense was strong. We are still in a good place overall.”

England tops the group by two points because it leads France 3-1 in bonus points.

When the sides last met, England routed France 44-8 in the Six Nations.

But Dupont hopes the fact France is already qualified takes some of the stress away, and the Tricolors will therefore play more freely on Saturday at Yokohama.

“We can measure ourselves against one of the best teams in the world without having to worry about qualification,” Dupont said. “It’s always a good test. After the pool phase there is no good draw, there are only big teams left.”