DURBAN, 19 June 2005 — Dimitri Jachvili came within the width of an upright of earning France victory in the drawn first Test against South Africa yesterday.

The match finished 30-30 with France scoring four tries to South Africa’s three.

Debutant right wing Julien Candelon touched down with six minutes left to level the scores but replacement scrumhalf Jachvili hit the left hand upright with the conversion that would have given France victory.

France, whose players are nearing the end of a long domestic campaign that started in September, refused to give up against the fresher South Africans, who began their season last week. The visitors will be the happier of the teams going into the second and last Test in Port Elizabeth next Saturday.

Flank Yannick Nyanga drew first blood for France in the seventh minute with a try under the crossbar after the visitors intercepted a midfield pass by South African flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuyzen.

Fullback Percy Montgomery pulled back three points for the Springboks with a penalty, and the home side took a 10-7 lead in the 14th minute when left wing Bryan Habana scored in the left hand corner.

Italy Upset Argentina

in Second Test

In Buenos Aires, Italy scored three first half tries then put up a blanket defense to beat Argentina 30-29 in the second Test in Cordoba and square the series.

South African-born fullback Gert Peens contributed 15 points with three conversions and three penalties to Italy’s first win in Argentina, a significant result for their French coach Pierre Berbizier, on Friday night. Argentina won the first Test 35-21. The visiting team’s tries, all scored by Argentine-born players — flyhalf Ramiro Pez, back row forward Sergio Parisse and centre Gonzalo Canale — helped Italy run up a 27-13 lead at halftime.

The Pumas fought back with tries by lock Pablo Bouza and fullback Bernardo Stortoni and 19 points from the boot of flyhalf Federico Todeschini. There were some outbreaks of fighting among forwards in the match and Italy captain Marco Bortolami was sent off in the dying minutes for a second yellow card offense. Bortolami had been sin-binned in the first half along with Pumas lock Patricio Albacete. In the second half Argentina’s Juan Leguizamon and Italy’s Santiago Dellape were sin-binned.