In exchanging his role as the manager of Saudi Arabia men for the equivalent post with France women, Hervé Renard took a 75% pay cut. Given that the 54-year-old, who guided the Saudis to an astounding 2-1 World Cup group-stage win against Argentina at Qatar 2022, remains a hero in the Gulf Kingdom, that move surprised many fellow coaches. Renard, though, is not motivated purely by money and could not resist the challenge of attempting to steer his long underachieving female compatriots to a first World Cup triumph. But four months into the job the one time Cambridge United manager may be forgiven for fearing it represents something of a tall order. After permitting Jamaica’s impressive Reggae Girlz to secure their first point at a World Cup in this Group F opener in a rainy Sydney, a rather less than fluent France have considerable regrouping to do before Saturday’s tricky looking second group fixture against Brazil. That should not take away from Lorne Donaldson’s side, however, and in particular their outstanding central midfielder Drew Spence. Jamaica delivered a stellar performance, one full of hard pressing and marred only by Khadija Shaw’s late sending off for a second bookable offence. Jamaica more than held their own in the course of a set-piece dominated encounter in which Tottenham’s Spence helped keep things so narrowly compact that their opponents enjoyed little room for attacking manoeuvre. In March, France’s former manager Corinne Diacre was sacked after falling out with one player too many. The smiling Renard is far more popular but, as yet, the team’s playing style has yet to become imbued with his joie de vivre. Renard transformed Saudi Arabia into an expansive and adventurous side cast very much in his own swashbuckling image but, so far at least, France show little sign of following suit. It is admittedly early days but, on this disjointed evidence, it was hard to make a convincing case for Les Bleus’s status as potential tournament winners. Bereft of width and low on between-the-lines nuance, they lacked rhythm and control. But at least Renard has been able to restore his namesake Wendie Renard to defence. Quite apart from being perhaps the world’s best centre-back, Renard represents a goal threat at set pieces and, having expertly lost her marker, she should have scored with a first-half header. Otherwise, with the Swaby sisters, Allyson and Chantelle, proving obduracy personified in Jamaica’s defence and Eugénie Le Sommer isolated in France’s attack, even half chances proved elusive. Most notably, Shaw, Donaldson’s star striker, directed a swerving 30-yard shot fractionally wide, while France’s Kaddiatou Diani had a shot deflected inches wide. The supremely talented Shaw looked capable of alarming even Wendie Renard but needed to watch her step after being booked for catching Sakina Karchaoui late on. The Manchester City player’s subsequent clumsy, stoppage-time foul on Renard was horribly self-destructive and that blatant second yellow-card offence dictates Jamaica will be deprived of her presence against Panama on Saturday. France, meanwhile, desperately missed their injured World Cup absentees, Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Delphine Cascarino. Renard, though, should be heartened by an improved second-half performance involving the increasingly influential left-back Karchaoui, who frequently stepping into midfield when her side attacked. Kenza Dali also shone having come on as a substitute. Indeed, by the time Diani’s late header rebounded off bar and post, a Jamaica squad which, back in 2019 went on strike after going unpaid for nine months, were working overtime to secure a richly deserved draw