“How do you come out of this victory?
I am very happy with the victory, to have found my friends and supporters at the Stade de France. Very happy also to have won by a large margin despite inaccuracies in the second half which will have to be erased for the match against the Blacks.
Also very happy with your double?
(He laughs) Yes, it’s always nice to score even if I’m not obsessed with it. It remains anecdotal. I am especially happy that we found ourselves well offensively and defensively. It gives a lot of confidence but we won’t have as many chances next Saturday.
Do you feel that the French team’s game is looking a little more to the outside world than before?
Yes, with the new refereeing guidelines, the game is more focused on the offensive. We changed our game system a little in attack and defense. We felt pretty good but, once again, we will have to be better next week since it will be a tone above. We know that New Zealanders are very fit. They remain on two big away victories against two great teams (England and Ireland). We know what to expect.
Offensively, the kicking game was a valuable weapon individually and collectively. What do you think?
It’s true. We have always wanted it to be a weapon, not only to get out of our camp but also an offensive weapon. We had the rebounds with us this (SATURDAY) evening.
Was this return to the Stade de France special almost thirteen months after the World Cup quarter-final lost against South Africa?
Of course. It felt a bit strange, as well as returning to the same hotel where we were also before the quarter-final. But everyone has more or less moved on now. We want to move forward. We are no longer on 2023 but really focused on 2027.”
