Six Nations:
Lièvremont
"extremely disappointed" after opening-day defeat
08 February 2009
France
coach Marc Lièvremont admitted he was “exceptionally
disappointed” after seeing his team slide to a 30-21
opening-day defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations
championship.
“Both
the players and coaches are frustrated because we had high
hopes for this match,” he said.
“We
wanted to start the Six Nations well. There was a lack of
discipline, especially early on. I find it hard to explain.
Ireland were always making us play catch-up rugby, which is
difficult to do at Croke Park. We produced some good moves
and kicked two drop-goals, but made too many bad choices and
didn’t finish our chances.
“We felt
a sense of urgency because we were behind and they were able
to break through our defence. Ireland are a very experienced
team and they work well together,” he added.
Lièvremont is clearly hoping to emulate that type of
continuity and has named an unchanged squad for France’s
next match – against Scotland in Paris.
Benoit
Lecouls (neck), Sebastien Chabal (back) and Imanol
Harinordoquy (knee) all picked up minor injuries against
Ireland but are expected to be fit for action against the
Scots, with Lièvremont set to name his starting XV on
Tuesday morning.
The
problem for the Irish, after their first success against
France since 2003, was to ensure they kept things in
perspective said former captain Brian O’Driscoll.
“We’ve
gained some momentum but while it’s France we’ve beaten and
they’re top-class opposition, we shouldn’t get carried
away,” he warned.
“You
can’t win a Six Nations in the first game but you can lose
it in the first game. Essentially we’re where we want to be
after one match. We’re happy with our performance and we’ll
enjoy this win. But from tomorrow it’s all about Italy,” he
added.
O’Driscoll said the most pleasing aspect of
the win was how Ireland handled the pressure in the closing
stages, especially after their late defeat on the same
ground two years ago when Vincent Clerc raced over for a
dramatic match-winning try.
“When
you play the best teams in the world they tend not to let
you have a free run at it, even if things are going
reasonably well. They had plenty of fight and overall the
result was very pleasing.
“We
learnt a lot from two years ago – that was clear from the
way we hunted them down. Maybe there was a little knowledge
in the team that we had it when we needed it second time
around,” he said.
Ireland
coach Declan Murphy was equally pleased by the result. “Any
day you get the better of France is a great day to be
enjoyed by everyone. It’s a privilege for us to be here,” he
said.
Elsewhere, England opened their Six Nations campaign
with a scrappy 36-11 home win against Italy, but were
again unconvincing.
Brive
fly-half Andy Goode scored the game’s opening try and added
four conversions on his recall to the England side, but
Martin Johnson’s outfit again lacked cohesion and confidence
as they struggled to put away their visitors.
Further
tries from scrum-half Harry Ellis (2), centre Riki Flutey
and winger Mark Cueto completed the scoring, but Italy will
be cheered by Mirco Bergamasco’s late try as they stuck to
their task admirably.
Johnson
was pleased to get the win – only England’s second in seven
games – but knows there must be a massive improvement for
their trip to Wales next weekend.
“We were
sometimes going off-plan and doing things we especially said
not to do against this team. We didn’t want guys picking and
going around the edges against Italy because it is an area
they defend best,” he said afterwards.
“When
you are trying to execute it just takes one thing to throw
it off. Mark Cueto’s try was a good example of execution. If
you do lots of little things well you can score a try.
“There are things we need
to put right and it is easier doing that when have come off
a game, things are more relevant,” he added.
Wales began the
defence of their title with a comfortable 26-13 win against
Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The championship
favourites scored four tries - through Tom Shanklin, Alun
Wyn Jones, Leigh Halfpenny and IRB Player of the Year Shane
Williams - as they eased passed their hosts despite the late
loss of captain Ryan Jones due to a calf strain.
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