Classic Lions produced an improved second-half display to overcome a resilient France Classic XV 24-0 in their first match at the World Rugby Classic on Sunday.

The two teams could not be separated after the opening 30 minutes of rugby at North Field, National Sports Centre and it was the first time in 38 years that teams had been scoreless at the break.

Four tries and two conversions ensured the Lions of a bonus-point victory, keeping them in contention to finish on top when the round-robin concludes on Friday.

Macauley Cook, Dougie Fife, Ian Keatley and vice-captain Matt Scott crossed the whitewash once each to give the Lions victory. Keatley, a former Ireland fly half, also kicked two conversions.

Lions captain Niall Scannell was pleased with the side’s second-half display against a determined French team.

“The scoreline probably flattered us a bit,” Scannell told The Royal Gazette.

“The French put up a really good fight and they probably were the better team in the first half. But we were really happy with how we stuck in there and we just kept going after it in the second half then things opened up for us a bit, which was brilliant.

“I think we played some really exciting rugby in the second half. We just had to stick in there, move the ball to the width very well then a few more passes just started sticking and we were able to convert to a few tries.

“Whereas maybe early on, we hadn’t played together before, things weren’t as smooth, weren’t as cohesive, but I think we got there in the end.”

Next up for the Lions is a tricky encounter against Classic Canada on Wednesday night. The Canadians defeated Classic Eagles in the opening fixture of the Classic on Saturday.

“We did watch Canada against the USA,” the Lions captain said.

“They’re an incredibly athletic team and they can play ball. They have a few players with serious X-factor and their forward pack was quite aggressive and robust.

“They turned over a lot of USA’s lineouts, so we know they’re a serious outfit. We’ll use the coming days to get a bit more training together now and we’ll be in a better place to give them a good challenge on Wednesday.

“We only flew in late Friday night, so we trained Saturday. We’ll get more training sessions on Monday and Tuesday, which will put us in a better place for Wednesday.

“Canada will be a big challenge on Wednesday, but we’re excited. We’re happy to be here, the atmosphere and crowd are great, so we just want to get back out here on Wednesday night.”

The Lions and Argentina arrived as favourites to win the title, but the Canadians sit on top courtesy of a superior points difference after the opening round of fixtures, followed by the Argentinians, with the Lions third.

“I don’t know about us, but definitely the Argentinians and the Canadians look very strong,” Scannell added.

“But you’re not going to win this tournament without beating a few of the big boys. So we’ve just got to be ready for that, embrace it and enjoy it.”

The French were looking to make an impression after missing the Classic last year. Centre Jérémy Hirigoyenberry came close to giving Les Bleus the lead in the first half, but he knocked the ball on metres from the line.

Fabien Alexandre, the France captain, conceded that the Lions were superior.

“I think the Lions were a lot stronger than us,” Alexandre said.

“They monopolised the ball a lot more. We were in trouble, especially in the second half, it was a difficult second half for us.”

With matches against Argentina and the United States still to come, Alexandre believes his side remain in contention.

“We still have two games left, against the Argentinians and the Americans,” the France captain said.

“We still have two chances to win, so we’re not going to let it go. Argentina beat Italy so they’re a very solid team, but we’re motivated to try to get on to their talent.”