AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Morgan Parra kicked three penalties Sunday to lead France into the Rugby World Cup finals with a 9-8 victory over Wales in New Zealand.
The French squad will play the winner of Monday's match between Australia and New Zealand in their first finals appearance since 2007.
Parra converted all three of France's 3-point kicks while Wales went 1-for-3 in penalties but got a score on a try by Mike Phillips with 23 minutes left to play.
Wales managed to keep the match close despite a red card to star player Sam Warburton that reduced the side to 14 men for 61 minutes. The BBC said the loss of Warburton seemed to keep Wales stuck in its own territory much of the time.
After Phillips got the Welsh back in the game, subsequent penalty kicks by Stephen Jones and Leigh Halfpenny came inches short of giving them the lead.
