2023-09-09 00:33:27
The Blues defeated New Zealand at the opening of the World Cup on Friday in Saint-Denis. The French coach takes stock of the situation in front of the press.
You must have appreciated the reaction of your team in the second half…
Fabien Galthie : We didn’t control the game in the first half, we were a little caught up in the atmosphere even though we had prepared for it. Hence this scenario at the start of the match, where we give the All Blacks easy keys. There was a lot of dross in our strategy. But, thanks to our discipline, we returned to the locker room with the score (9-8). The second half, with the entry of the finishers, finally allowed us to get the match back in hand. We can do better, but the standoff was won and we are very satisfied with the result.
You talk about discipline. Certainly a record with only four penalties conceded !
It clearly allowed us to stay in contact with the New Zealanders in our weak times and allowed Thomas Ramos to keep us afloat with his foot. Discipline was a key area this evening (Friday night).
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Conversely, the defense once again showed signs of weakness…
This is clearly a point of improvement. We have to be more collective with the ball but also without the ball. This lack was identified at half-time. Is it the issue that makes us retract a little? Certainly. But we had already seen it during our preparation matches. Sometimes we had trouble logging in. But our great success, in the second half, was first of all to get things back on track and then to take control of the match by finally being very collective. In defense and with the ball.
Read alsoThe notes of the XV of France against New Zealand: Alldritt inexhaustible, Ramos decisive
We can consider that this is not an achievement but we checked this box too and it is very important.
Fabien Galthie
Is this victory an achievement ?
These are the facts. The All Blacks arrived with 31 consecutive group match victories in the previous nine World Cups. And for the 10th, they lose their first match… We can consider that this is not an achievement but we checked this box too and it is very important. We wanted to secure this prestigious victory.
Do you consider this start a success? ?
Yes ! Simply yes. The result is perfect. Very satisfaying. The scenario a little less. When a player gets injured, you’re never happy. There we lose Julien (Marchand) for several days. But the World Cup is long…
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