PARIS
\nFrance\u2019s hangover from last year\u2019s Rugby World Cup included a chastening defeat to Ireland, a drab draw with Italy and a scandal-hit tour of south America. It was far from the ideal way to banish the demons from the one-point quarter-final defeat on home soil to eventual champions South Africa.
\nHowever, Saturday\u2019s 30-29 victory over New Zealand marked a watershed, a clear indication of France\u2019s ability to win tight games against the best with their mind now totally switched to the 2027 tournament in Australia. \u201cThat World Cup, we no longer talk about it,\u201d France captain Antoine Dupont told reporters.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re in a different place now. We are looking to the future, what is ahead of us. It is one step in a long journey.\u201d During the Six Nations, Fabien Galthie\u2019s side was sluggish, missing the key figure of Dupont who stepped away to focus on his Olympic sevens commitments.
\nGalthie then suffered off the field in Argentina in July with allegations of sexual assault against two of his rookie players while full-back Melvyn Jaminet was hit with a lengthy ban after making racist comments on social media. \u201cIt\u2019s been a transition year, post-World Cup,\u201d Galthie said. \u201cIt has been rich but difficult to come through,\u201d the former France captain added.
\nFrance end their November internationals campaign against the Pumas next Friday, having already lost to Felipe Contepomi\u2019s outfit earlier in the year in Buenos Aires.In mitigation that defeat came in the chaotic days after the two scandals that followed the first Test win in Mendoza.
\nLes Bleus could welcome back winger Damian Penaud, who has missed their two Tests this November with an illness but replacement lock Romain Taofifenua will be sidelined with concussion. \u201cWe move on to Argentina which will come around quickly,\u201d Dupont told reporters. \u201cThe squad are conscious, with its experience, that we have accomplished one thing. But the job\u2019s not done.\u201d
\nNew Zealand \u2018pride\u2019 -For the All Blacks, the defeat in Paris was a third straight loss to France and came on the heels of their 12-11 defeat by South Africa there in the World Cup final. Head coach Scott Robertson is just 13 games into his tenure and after an unconvincing start, the former Crusaders boss steadied the ship with victories over Japan, England and Ireland.
\nThe loss in front of a hostile, sold-out French crowd has put the breaks on his side\u2019s development. \u201cI\u2019m pleased but Test footy comes down to just a little bit of a moment,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cWe pride ourselves on how much work we get through, game management, game understanding, and discipline. \u201cWe didn\u2019t do enough of that,\u201d he added. Next Saturday\u2019s season-ending trip to Italy should pose fewer problems for Robertson.
\nHe is set to be boosted by the return of Test centurion Sam Cane, on his final international appearance. Cane missed the Test in Paris because of a head injury he collected in the win over Ireland in Dublin. Winger Mark Tele\u2019a, who scored two tries in the All Blacks\u2019 thrilling win at Twickenham a fortnight ago, is also due to come back after a hand injury ruled him out against France.
\nAnother cause to smile is the good form of try-scoring scrum-half Cam Roigard who spent seven months of the year recovering from a serious knee issue. \u201cI thought Cam took some great opportunities on his birthday,\u201d Robertson said of the 25 year-old. \u201cHe\u2019s fought really hard, rehabbed his injury really well and deserved his opportunity to start. \u201cHe had some nice touches and had a good head-to-head with Antoine Dupont).\u201d Iwd\/bsp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARIS France\u2019s hangover from last year\u2019s Rugby World Cup included a chastening defeat to Ireland, a drab draw with Italy and a scandal-hit tour of south America. It was far from the ideal way to banish the demons from the one-point quarter-final defeat on home soil to eventual champions South Africa. However, Saturday\u2019s 30-29 victory […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-444184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n