France-All Blacks celebrate French rugby history

Twelve years later, the former France XV coach returns unfiltered in this moment selection between France and the All Blacks.

What memories do you have of the 2011 World Cup?

Twelve years later, too late, keep only the good stuff. This period was not easy. It generated a lot of emotions for me, for all the people involved in this adventure, and for all the followers. Twelve years later, I am sure of this whole story, from the first day of preparation at the end of June, to October 23, 2011, the date of the final. Despite the defeat, the remorse, I extract the positive things out of it. But of course we would like to be world champions.

How can France lose to Tonga (14-19) and be on the verge of winning the cup in a few days?

Because this team has a lot of potential. The path of a world champion is not always linear. We have also evolved in a climate of skepticism and criticism, and therefore in a context that has not always been very favorable. There were some complicated moments, but that’s part of the band’s life. After this slap against Tonga, the team knew how to behave to give their best till the end.

You have been personally criticized a bit…

Not all times were good. With a relationship with journalism that wasn’t just simple…it was also the result of a three-and-a-half-year journey that wasn’t always linear, with performances and counter-performance. And let’s face it, a form of hostility on the part of a large portion of the press towards me. But even in the most difficult moments, I have always received many testimonies of sympathy and appreciation, including from many journalists.

“This group knew how to get away because they were in a state of rebellion.”

During the competition, there was a lot of talk about players running themselves. So fact or fiction?

When they suffered that humiliation (against Tonga) that concerned the whole group, the coaching staff and the players took responsibility. But to say that there is self-management in the strict sense of the word has never been the case. Then, it is true that there have been more strained relations with some, because the World Cup comes at the end of a four-year cycle.

There are bound to be agreements, disagreements and moments of tension. But my administration was always based on trust, which allowed and encouraged independence. I was pleased to see this collective awareness of the players. I also provoked him. After that, I was in better harmony. This group was able to come to the end because it was at one time in rebellion against the elements, themselves, partly against me.

Marc Levremont does not hold it against Joubert

In the final, referee Craig Joubert caused a lot of talk …

Refereeing is part of the game, we are taught from a young age that the referee can make mistakes, and we have to respect his decisions. Preparing for a final in this context also means understanding these things. Certainly the arbitration was unfavorable to us. In spite of everything, the boys were able to give their all to the end. We would have preferred less stressful refereeing. But, again, it’s also part of the game.

If we take a somewhat philosophical approach to this eventual event and events, we can then say that the Blacks have righted themselves for more favorable arbitration as to the quality of their course, as we had more complex matches with two mass defeats. It is also possible that the referee was slightly influenced by this context and the personality of New Zealand captain Richie McCaw.

The caddy was of course full of New Zealand supporters. On my part, there is no resentment today. We have prepared for this. Despite this unfavorable refereeing, we could have won the match as well. There are a few shots we could have used better to be world champions.

François Trinh Duc even earned a penalty kick for the win!

Yes, this one and others, we had chances to win the match despite the refereeing. Today we are still talking about the 1999 final, another generation, and the 2011 final. Even if there was no title, it marked the history of French rugby. This is also important.