OVER THREE WEEKS since their Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit against South Africa, France coach Fabien Galthie has finally broken his silence about the “scar that will stay with us for life”.
Hosts France were one of the favourites to win the tournament but lost a thrilling quarter-final 29-28 to the eventual champions.
“For us, it was a time of mourning,” said Galthie who has not spoken to the press since the night of the loss on 15 October.
“It’s a huge disappointment after four years of hard work, four years of successful work with 80% wins and all those records.
“The only objective we wanted to achieve was to be world champions. There was no other.
“It would have been the same disappointment if we’d lost in the semi-final by one point. The disappointment would have been the same if we’d lost in the final by one point.
“The difference is that we would have had an extra week.
“The difference is enormous because we wanted to experience these moments that we’ve been working towards for four years. So the disappointment is enormous.”
Galthie, 54, took over as coach in December 2019 and reinvigorated an under-achieving team.
Last month, following France’s exit, he signed a new contract until June 2028, along with team manager Raphael Ibanez, defence coach Shaun Edwards and scrum specialist William Servat, allowing him to set his sights on the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
French rugby fans can expect more of the high-octane flare that has epitomised his team since taking over.
“Tactically and strategically, if I had to do it again, I’d do the same thing,” said Galthie.
Head-to-head result decides Pool so Australia are through
Best Runner-up will need at least 10 match points + a better overall score difference if tied. NZ/SA both have 10 points in Pool C + score differences more than +60 ahead of Ireland’s [63 and 64 respectively]
So Ireland need NZ/SA to win convincingly and then to out score Italy by enough to make up the 60+ point gap less the NZ/SA points difference. So – if New Zealand beat South Africa by 20 clear points [+ deny them a try scoring bonus point], Ireland would need to beat Italy by 44 points
France v Argentina is also relevant. A French victory means that the best Runner-Up cannot come from Pool A. Both could finish on 11 points though if they get 1 and 5 points respectively from their match. In which case they would both qualify for the knock-out stages if either NZ or SA fail to get a losing point. If Argentina deny France any match points then France will finish with 10 match points and will have lost the game by at least a score difference of 8 so have on overall total of no better than 27. Ireland would have to beat Italy by 40 pointsto have that outcome covered….
@Solon Harrison: Fair play to you
@Solon Harrison:
Would you be willing to do my Taxes :::PLEASE :) :) :) :)
Does anyone know if Ireland can still go further in this competition if they beat Italy ? Are there quarter finals or only semis?
@Jack Hackett: Are chances are slim after yesterday’s result. My understanding of it is that the winners of the three pools, plus the best runner up, all make it through to the next stage-which is the cup semi-final.
Ireland (5pts) are currently 5 match points behind Australia (10pts), plus a hefty score difference (64pts). We would need England to hammer Australia and Ireland to hammer Italy if we were going to top the group at this stage.
Both Argentina (6pts) and New Zealand (10pts) are in better positions to also get the best runner-up spot as things stand too.
@Jack Hackett: Unless it’s changed this year.. There’s usually also playoff games to determine each teams ranking from 5 to 12 with 12th place being relegated. I presume if Ireland finish 2nd in group but don’t reach the semis we’ll be in the 5th/ 6th place playoff. Open to correction though.
@Captain NerbNerb: Hasnt changed. All 12 teams play 5 games and the ranking games determine the pools for next years competition.