All Blacks
coach Graham Henry described his side's thumping
39-12 win in Marseille as
"a special day and a special game".
New Zealand
ran in five tries as they shredded the French defence,
leaving most observers purring over their attacking flair.
"There has
been a lot of boring stuff played over the last couple of
years, but I think this was the best attacking display by an
international side for some time," said a delighted Henry.
"To play that well under these rules is a difficult
achievement," he added.
France had coach Marc
Lièvremont was also generous with his praise despite the
disappointment of such a heavy defeat. "We must be able to
recognize the All Blacks' talent. We must be able to lose
with dignity," he said afterwards.
His captain Thierry Dusautoir
may need a lesson or two in diplomacy though after somehow
concluding that his colleagues were "disappointed because we
do not think the All Blacks are so very special."
They certainly looked that way
in Marseille on Saturday night, and Dusautoir appeared to be
a lone voice in refusing to acknowledge that.
Prop Fabien
Barcella was more honest in surmising that the defeat could
ultimately work to France's benefit after the euphoria
surrounding their earlier wins against South Africa and
Samoa.
"We tried
to play, but were foiled having come across a stronger team
than us," he admitted. "Maybe it's a good thing to see all
the work we need to do. There were some very good things
during this autumn series and some less good.
"We wanted
to lay down the same foundations as against South Africa but
they weren't there. We beat the world champions and had a
great game against Samoa. But it proves that there's an
enormous gap between us and the All Blacks," said the
26-year-old.
He admitted
that confidence had been high before the match, but said the
presence of players such as Richie McCaw and Dan Carter -
who both missed France's 27-22 win in Dunedin in June - had
been crucial.
"We came up
against an outstanding team and we were used as a sparring
partner. It's a shame to finish the autumn series in this
way. For the first time something was expected of France and
we were taken seriously by the All Blacks," added Barcella.
Lièvremont
admitted the defeat had "forced us to come back down to
earth" after the South Africa and Samoa wins, and expressed
relief they don't face New Zealand in the Six Nations
Championship. But he also said there were positives to be
taken from the loss.
"Obviously
we are disappointed because we thought we could rival the
All Blacks, but I'm also proud of my players because they
tried to stick to an attacking game against a team that gave
a fantastic display of panache and efficiency.
"I still
think we have a lot of room for improvement and there will
be no drastic changes in our strategy and in our choice of
players," he added.
To complete
France's weekend misery the All Blacks have also filed an
official complaint over an alleged eye-gouging incident on
prop Tony Woodcock, which left the New Zealander with
abrasions around both eyes.
The team's
support staff claim Woodcock received "a facial" from a
French player near the end of the 39-12 trouncing, and now
await a decision from the game's citing commissioner - who
has 48 hours to act.
Video
footage of the match has so far proved inconclusive, with
All Blacks captain McCaw admitting that he hadn't seen the
incident. "I wasn't aware of any eye-gouging or being kicked
or anything like that. It may have happened but I wasn't
aware of it. It was a bit of frustration on their part," he
said of the 71st-minute scuffle.
** France's summer Test
against the Springboks in 2010 could be switched from Cape
Town to Wembley Stadium because of a clash with South
Africa hosting the football World Cup.
France are due to play the
Springboks on June 12 with a fixture against South Africa
'A' a week later, before flying on to Buenos Aries to take
on Argentina.
**
Fiji recorded a landmark victory in Romania at
the weekend, wining 29-18 at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf
thanks to tries from Colomiers' Vereniki Goneva, Jimilai
Naikadawa, Ulster's Timoci Nagusa and Jonetani Ratu.
The win was Fiji's first
on Romanian soil - on their maiden trip there - and came 18
years after the only previous meeting between these two
sides, when Romania won 17-15 in the 1991 World Cup in
Brive.
Toulon's Gabriele
Lovobalavu and La Rochelle's Norman Ligairi both started for
Fiji, while Romania's side featured SCA Albi's Lulian
Dumitras, Perpignan's Ovidiu Tonita, Oyonnax's Dan Dumitru
and Montauban's Bogdan Balan.
