Live Commentary: France 38-11 Romania - as it happened

Good evening! Romania get their 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign underway at London's Olympic Stadium this evening, facing Group D favourites France, who already have one win under their belts. Let's start with a reminder of the team news.

FRANCE STARTING XV: Dulin, Guitoune, Fickou, Fofana, Nakaitaci, Tales, Parra, Debaty, Szarzewski, Atonio, Le Roux, Flanquart, Nyanga, Ouedraogo, Picamoles

ROMANIA STARTING XV: Fercu, Lemnaru, Kinikinilau, Vlaicu, Apostol, Dumbrava, Surugiu, Lazar, Turashvili, Ion, Poparlan, Van Heerden, Ursache, Lecaci, Macovei

After overcoming Italy just four days ago, there are near-wholesale changes for France, with 13 changes to Saturday's starting lineup. Louis Picamoles and Noa Nakaitaci are the only two to retain their spots in the starting XV, while Wesley Fofana and Morgan Parra are among those to come in.

Romania have their most experienced lineup ever at a Rugby World Cup match for this evening's clash, with 684 Test caps among the starting lineup. Romania were last in action in a warm-up match against Tonga a couple of weeks ago, losing 21-16. There's just one change to the side that started that match, with Mihaita Lazar preferred at loose-head prop to Andrei Ursache, who is named among the replacements.

Many of the Romania players play their club rugby in France, and Lazar, who plays for Castres, told reporters: "Every player in our squad who has gone overseas has improved. I can adapt quicker to different styles of play. I think the quality and competition over there is a lot greater so it will help me in this match particularly."

One of France's changes was enforced, as Yoann Huget suffered an ACL tear in the opening fixture, resulting in Remy Grosso making his debut on the wing. Coach Philippe Saint-Andre told reporters: "Remy is a good player, of course he is. He has been improving more and more at Castres, and I tell you if we had a post free for him before, then we would have taken him."

Here's the French side going through their final preparations at the Olympic Stadium:

#XVdeFrance les derniers mots du capitaine avant le match #soutienslexv #FRAROU pic.twitter.com/741yxoAVP8

— FF Rugby (@FFRugby) September 23, 2015

This is the final of three Rugby World Cup matches taking place today, with Scotland and Australia both opening their campaigns with victory earlier today. You can find details of those matches, plus loads of exclusive content on our dedicated page for the tournament.

It looks like Romania can expect plenty of support this evening:

Only one hour until #RugbyRomania vs @FFRugby. #Oaks fans are ready to get loud #RWC2015 #ROUvFRA pic.twitter.com/jqhZOmqwfh — F.R. Rugby (@RugbyRomania) September 23, 2015

This is the third time these two sides have met in the World Cup, coming head-to-head in the first two editions of the tournament. France secured comfortable wins in both.

The players make their way out of the tunnel ready for kickoff. As always, the national anthems of both sides will be played ahead of kickoff.

With the pre-match formalities over and done with, kickoff is just moments away now. We're already seen Scotland and Australia make winning starts today, can Romania cause an upset and make it three out of three for the late starters today? We'll find out over the next 80 minutes.

KICKOFF! Morgan Parra gets the match underway.

France are clearly keen to make an early impression charging at Romania in the opening moments of the game. Noa Nakaitaci kicks the ball forward trying to gather it himself, but Romania knock it forward trying to steal it back, conceding a scrum.

France have the put in at the scrum, but it's excellent work from Romania as Lazar leads the push, helping his side earn a penalty. The resulting lineout is sloppy though, with Turashvili throwing it too deep for his teammates, allowing France to regain possession.

France win another scrum, and this time put up a much better fights against the powerful Romanian forwards. Bernard Le Roux and Gael Fickou try to make the most of some space out wide, but it comes to nothing.

France have the chance to get the opening points on the board as Romanian are penalised for not rolling away after the tackle. The decision doesn't go down well, with the crowd clearly wanting the Les Bleus to go for the try.

Romania have their first scrum of the night, but France quickly wheel it to get possession. Macovei gets to it first for Romania, but immediately knocks on to hand the ball straight back to France.

France have a lineout, which Franquart expertly pulls down before offloading to Picamoles. Romania try to stop the number eight getting free, but an illegal tackle gives France another penalty, allowing them to kick further into Romania territory.

Romania get a hand to the ball from the French lineout, but it's batted straight into the path of Szarzewski, who snatches it back for France as looks to gets inside the Romania 10, but he's immediately halted.

Van Heerden picks the ball up from the scrum as Romania string together a decent attacking charge for the first time this evening. Lazar tries to muscle his way through as Romania bear down on the French try line, but he's just held up.

NO TRY! Florin Vlaicu dives across the line, but Le Roux makes a last-ditch tackle to try to hold him up, and he's just done enough, as several replays show that the Romania centre didn't quite get the ball down. There was an offside in the build up though, so Romania get a go at the uprights.

Vlaicu levels the scores with a simple penalty, but Romania on soon on the attack again as Lucaci snatches the ball away from a France lineout. Parra picks up a kick forward though, and wins a lineout on Romania territory for the 2011 finalists.

Not for the first time this evening, Romania force a turnover after the tackle, with Macovei forcing the turnover after Fickou is tackled. Another offside gives Romania the penalty, so Vlaicu, seeing no other options tries a long-range drop goal. It's a mile short, but he's got a penalty to follow. That's the fifth time Romania have forced a turnover this evening.

MISSED PENALTY! This effort from Vlaicu has the distance, but it's wildly mis-hit, going well wide of the left upright.

SIN BIN! Romania are down to 14 for the next 10 minutes as Paulico Ion is told by the referee that his actions in the scrum are "cynical".

Almost immediately after seeing Ion march off to the sin bin, France capitalise from a scrum, with Parra offloading the ball out wide on Guitoune, who gets his feet planted well to avoid being forced into touch, before stretching to ball out to ground it just over the line.

France are really turning the screw now that Romania have a man off the field, with Nakaitaci looking for Fofana and seeing him blocked, only to spot Nyanga making a run down the right, allowing him to run in a similar try to the one scored by Guitoune a couple of minutes earlier.

France have still got a couple of minutes with Ion off the field, so they try to come again, looking to exploit a Romania defence that has struggled while a man short. There's a knock on though, so Romania have a scrum just inside France territory. They haven't seen much of the ball in the last few minutes, so may just try to maintain possession until Ion can return.

Romania pass the ball around in the middle before Catalin Fercu spots on opening down the left touchline, and senses a chance to try to get a try back before the interval. The full-back makes up some ground, but he's brought down before he can power over in the corner.

Gael Fickou is on the move for France, looking to bring it out from the back after the move from Romania. However, as he's tackled, he's penalised for holding on, so there's a penalty to come for Romania.

Vlaicu cuts the France lead to 11 just as Ion is allowed back on the pitch after serving his 10 minutes in the sin bin.

So, a couple of quick tries while Romania were a player short have give France an 11-point advantage at the break. The 2011 runners-up haven't looked that convincing so far, while Romania have shown impressive resilience, forcing a string of turnovers. Had they not have a player sent to the sin bin, it could have been a very different story at the interval.

It's worth remembering that this is very much France's B team, following 13 changes to the side that cruised past Italy at the weekend. France do have options on the bench should Romania makes things awkward again in the second half, but Philippe Saint Andre will want to give his fringe players a little longer to prove themselves in the second half.

The cameras in the France dressing room seem to be show Saint Andre giving his players a bit of a dressing down during the break. Romania should be relatively happy with their display so far though. They were probably the better of the two sides in the opening 30 minutes, and but for a superb tackle from Bernard le Roux, should have been ahead when Vlaicu leapt over the try line. If they can maintain that intensity in the second half, they have a chance to get back into this match.

The players are making their way back out ready for the start of the second half. Can France get the bonus point, or will Romania get back into the match? It's almost time to find out.

RESTART! Romania get the second half underway.

Despite what seemed to be quite a rant from the French coach at half time, it doesn't take long for France to concede a scrum inside their own territory, immediately giving Romania hope. Romania's scrum was impressive in the first half, as Lazar leads the charge again for Romania, allowing Surugiu to make up some ground.

Ion, who should be relatively fresh after spending 10 minutes in the sin bin just before the break, offloads the ball to Lucaci before it's worked back inside for Van Heerden, but he drops the ball.

Lucaci is looking really sharp for Romania in the opening stages of the second half as he tries to find a gap through the middle, ramming Fofana out of his way in the process, but there's eventually a block, allowing France to win the ball back.

Fickou races out towards the wing, with Dulin waiting on the touchline. He tries to keep it himself, before realising too late that he's not going to make it, and ends up dropping the ball.

France are continuing to push for the third try, which would surely be enough to kill off the game at this point. The have a lineout, but Romania do enough to stop the French barging their way over. There's a knock on as France try to come again, giving Romania the scrum.

A penalty from the resulting scrum gives Romania the lineout, but for the third time tonight Otar Turashvili's delivery goes over everyone's head. As good as Romania's scrum has been, their lineouts will need a little work if they're to secure their first Rugby World Cup win since 2007.

Fickou has Fofana alongside him again as he looks to speed away out wide, but he's tackled before he can use the winger. Parra keeps the ball moving for France though, before Chouly looks to muscle his way forward. This is a promising spell from France.

Another Romania lineout goes astray as Flanquart gets his fingers to the ball, but Dulin's offload for Fofana is forward, immediately halting the France charge. Unsurprisingly, after a string of below par lineouts, Romania are making a change at hooker.

Ursache holds off a couple of tackles as he bursts into France territory. Neither side have been able to add to their scores from the first half in what has been a very cagey first 20 minutes in the second half. Both sides are playing not to lose rather than going all out for the win. Hopefully, as full time approaches, someone will try to make a big play.

The ball is passed over Radoi's head to get the ball to Vincent Debaty, and the prop quickly gets the ball to Fofana with a quick offload. France looks dangerous when they get the ball moving around, but once again there's a forward pass to gift possession straight back to Romania.

With less than 15 minutes remaining, the first points of the second half have been scored, and they go to France. Les Bleus finally string together a clean run of passes to work the ball to Sofiane Guitoune out wide. Kinikinilau and Fercu both try to stop him reaching the line, but he just has a long enough arm to stretch it across for his second try of the match.

That should put any hopes of a Romania comeback to bed, but France now need just one more try to get a bonus point. Incidentally, there's a change to the kicking duties as Morgan Parra makes way for Rory Kockott.

You wait 25 minutes for one France try, and then two come along in quick succession! France have the bonus point as Wesley Fofana breaks free of Kinikinilau's clutches before grounding the ball while going down under pressure on Lemnaru, reaching behind his head to get the ball down.

Rory Kockott is called upon just a few moments after coming off the replacements bench, and he's accurate as he kicks through to extra two points. France are soon pressing forward again, but Lucaci drops the ball to allow Romania a breather.

It's nothing but a consolation at this point, but Romania are delighted to finally get a try on the board in this match. From the lineout, Valentin Ursache picks up the ball, and Andrei Radoi gets behind him to drive it across the line. Rory Kockott is the nearest man to it for France, but as one of the smallest players on the pitch, he's powerless to stop the powerful Romania duo. Vlaicu can't add to conversion though.

NO TRY! France are back down the other end just moments later, with Sofiane Guitoune looking for a hat--trick, but the wing loses the ball forward just short of the try line. Romania have the scrum, but the pressure will be on them to maintain possession, as it's on their five-metre line.

Romania do get the ball clear and force a lineout, with Stelian Burcea and Radoi both trying to gain some territory for Romania, but France manage to force a penalty.

France play a textbook lineout, with a perfect delivery setting up Gael Fickou to weave through a couple of out of place Romania players before grounding the ball between the posts for France's fifth try of the night. To say that France have been far from their best tonight, it's turning into an impressive winning margin.

Le Roux thinks that there's time for a sixth as he breaks quickly for France, but he takes a tumble, giving the ball back to Romania.

It's a bit of a flattering scoreline for France, but they did what they had to, finding a series of quick tries when needed to secure the bonus point win. Romania showed some brilliant resistance and were phenomenal in the scrum, but their lineouts were a bit lacking. If they can fix that though, they'll pose a danger to some of the other sides in Pool D.
© Getty Images

Romania have just four days to prepare for their next match, and it's another tricky one as they place Six Nations champions Ireland at Wembley on Saturday. France have a longer break ahead of their meeting with Canada at stadium:mk on October 1.

That's all from this match, but you can catch up with all of today's action, including some exclusive content from the earlier matches that took place today, on our dedicated Rugby World Cup page. There's just one team that are still to get their World Cup campaign underway, so join us again tomorrow as Namibia face the daunting task of taking on the All Blacks in their opening fixture of the tournament. Until then, thanks for joining me this evening. Goodbye.