2023-10-16 15:45:23
It was impossible to wander around the Stade de France, Sunday October 15, around 11 p.m., without being overcome by intense emotion. Between two cries of rage, tears, and discomfited faces everywhere. A few minutes earlier, France had said goodbye to its dreams of a world title, losing with a frustrating score of 29 to 28 against the South Africans, in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup.
Nothing shameful
An unashamed farewell, at the end of a crazy match. The two teams continued to fight blow for blow. Finally, one point, only one, separates the two teams. “We must recognize that at this level it’s nothing to worry about”analyzes, not without difficulty, Julien, a supporter of the French Irrésistibles group. “I didn’t have the feeling that they gave up, it came down to one point, it’s really frustrating. »
Unbridled in the first half, suffocating in the second, the match was fought from start to finish. Like the previous confrontation between the two nations, in November 2022 where the French team won (30-26). This time, the advantage shifted in favor of the South Africans. “We can be proud, French coach Fabien Galthié consoled himself in a post-match press conference. We have the right to lose a match like today. We have done everything we can to optimize our potential. »
Controversies over arbitration, “a simple excuse for being beaten”
The disillusionment is nevertheless there, cruel: by stopping in the quarter-finals, this French team which was said to be favorite for its home world is not doing better than in 2019, nor than in 2015, in the heart of his lean years. And the frustration of the supporters is fueled by severe controversies over arbitration considered far below the level of the issue. Returning at the last minute from injury, the French captain, Antoine Dupont, who was able to play the entire match, did not budge at a press conference: « There are some clear and obvious things that are easy to whistle that weren’t. »
The Blues and their supporters have not finished mulling over the few contentious decisions of New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe which, however, should not have seemed so decisive. “In reality, defeat comes down to situations where we didn’t score and where we should have done so”, asserts Jean-Claude Skrela. For the former coach, who led the French XV to the 1999 World Cup final, arbitration is “a simple excuse for being beaten”. “The referee made mistakes, but on both sides. It’s a way of consoling ourselves, we try to clear ourselves. »
“At the end, with all the added time, we can create a situation to hit a drop. It’s risky, but we could try to put ourselves in that situation, and we don’t.”, he regrets with a few hours of hindsight. Without concession, the 1977 Grand Slam winner explains that bad analyzes were also made on the teams from the Southern Hemisphere. “It was said of them that they were on the downward slope. As a result, only England, without shining, reached the semi-final. »“We must learn lessons from this. Perhaps we saw ourselves as too handsome, like the Irish”he laments.
Fabien Galthié confirmed as coach
The disappointment, which will take a long time to digest, should not mask the revival of French rugby. No doubt the risky draw which led to the premature opposition of the major contenders for the title had a role in this early elimination. “Everything that has been done over the past four years must not be forgotten, believes Jean-Claude Skrela. This team has been giving people pleasure for four years. » For the players, the disappointment will only last for a while. “They will go back to the club, they will play rugby again and even if there is something left, they will live with it, because they are professionals, promises the latter. I’ve been a player, and I’ve had disappointments, but we hang on, we put what happened aside and we move forward. »
If the pillar Uini Atonio and the second row Romain Taofifenua, both 33 years old, have announced their international retirement, the group remains. Many may still be there in four years, for the next World Cup in Australia. Starting with Fabien Galthié, reinforced the day after the defeat by the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) Florian Grill, who sees in him “the right person for the years to come”. The general manager of the Blues, Raphaël Ibanez, is convinced of this: “At the moment, it’s very hard for the French spectators and for the team, but we will come back. » Falling down, getting up again: that’s the essence of rugby.
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A record number of tries in the first half
The first half of the match between South Africa and France on Sunday October 15 was historic in many ways. Six tries were scored. Three on the French side, and three on the South African side. This is the highest number of tries ever recorded in the first half of a knockout match at a World Cup. It is also the first time the Springboks have conceded more than two tries in the first half of a World Cup match. The first French try, scored by Cyril Baille, took place after 3 minutes and 14 seconds of play. It is the second fastest try in a knockout match, since that of another Frenchman, Olivier Magne, during the 2003 quarter-final against Ireland (in 2 mins and 38 s).
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