French public blame overconfidence for defeat

Tens of thousands of French people stood in the Champs de Mars under the Eiffel Tower to watch the semi-final. Hundreds of thousands more gathered in cafes and bistrots across the country. A total of 20m were at home in front of their television sets.

Rugby had never known anything like it in France - an enthusiasm to match anything Thierry Henry and his footballing teammates had ever produced.

And amid the euphoria following victory against the All Blacks, the result of the England game was a foregone conclusion: 84 per cent of the population was certain France would win, according to a poll on Saturday for Sud Ouest newspaper.

So the sense of disappointment and frustration was huge in the aftermath.

I bore the brunt when I bought Le Journal du Dimanche, the Sunday newspaper, with its banner front-page headline: 'Rageant' (Infuriating).

"Don't try speaking English in here today," said the newsagent. "We couldn't stand it."

A lady with a curly grey hair and a red coat glowered at me. 'I hope the English lose next weekend,' she said. 'I'll be supporting their opponents whoever they are.'

But if the French were bitter at their old enemy for depriving them of the World Cup, they were also angry with themselves.

As they lurched from one extreme to another, a very Gallic bout of self-flagellation was underway.

An old man with a battered wooden cane and a blue beret limped into the shop and said: "The players have been boasting so much since the New Zealand game, the result was inevitable.

"They got their comeuppance and they deserved it. They should have held their tongues."

His opinion - that French pride had given Perfidious Albion a helping hand on the road to disaster - was widely shared.

"Maybe we got carried away after beating the All Blacks," said Fabien Galthiethe Stade Francais coach and former French international. "Maybe we thought the World Cup was won."

When Bernard Laporte, the France coach, came on the radio sounding sombre, the commentator said: "I wish he'd sounded more like that after the New Zealand match. He should have kept his feet on the ground."

Comments

[Geoff Douglas]

New Zealand really annoyed me before the match against France with their arrogant attitude. For the first time I cheered on the French against a Commonwealth country.I was also very disappointed with the attitude back in New Zealand after the match, I thought they were better sportsmen, they should grow up!
Does this mean I am now a real European?

[gg]

you are completely wrong
I and Almost all french rgby fans support england (for the first time )
We were for u against australia and now for england for the final because they play with their heart and because your wonderful forwards

Atmosphere was great in^paris last weekend with english

[RJA, Nottingham.]

I have to admit that I felt for France, I really did. I thought that after that fantastic game (and result) against NZ that this was their year.

They're great hosts and the tournament has been a credit to them. They've set the benchmark for future RWCs to be judged by.

[Raul Renjel]

I spent the weekend in Paris, and went to the game.

I found the French fans to be the most gracious I have ever met in defeat and all those around me at the final whistle shook my hand and wished England well in the final.

On the Sunday after the game I spoke to 2 Parisians in Montmartre who will be going to the final and they asked me to teach them 'God Save the Queen' as they will be supporting England next week.

[Vigornia]

Whatever the result in the final we beat the French! - Agincourt spirit clearly not to their taste.

..Vastly outnumbered, clasping victory from defeat (after a terrible start to campaign) with the aid of eagle-eyed marksmen.

I knew England's performance reminded me of something..

[RH Charles]

Why did the French wait until the last five minutes to play with their intrinsic, Gallic flair?

[barney]

French overconfidence after the NZ game must definately have played a part in their downfall. Sir Clive made the point that when we beat them in the last semifinal -to win a shot at the Aussies in Sydney - Martin Johnson shook hands with his opposite number and then led the team straight off to the changing rooms as if to say "the jobs not over yet"...

If you have a heart you've gotta feel their pain though, just for today at least. A French freind of mine who did his best to party in Paris last night reports that every white-shirted man he met behaved like a real gentleman towards him and his deflated friends. Once again English Rugby outclasses English Football in every department.

[Jordy]

What a tournament, haha, New Zealand, twenty years of failure. You can't keep 'choking' in world cups and then keep saying you're still the best team. The purpose of the world cup is to determine the best in the world with everyone's buy in and unfortunately, you have not been up to standard for 20 years and are a team who can deliver in games when it dosn't matter but on the big occasions, crumble when you come up against the real big hitters!! Keep on trying though little boys, you'll get there in the next 50 years or so...!