WE WERE THE ONLY TEAM ON THE PITCH SAYS O’SULLIVAN
Ireland were the only side to turn up for the Six Nations match with France, coach Eddie O’Sullivan claimed after his men in green had gone down 43-31 to France here at the Stade de France on Saturday.
The Irish gifted France three of their six tries and at one point trailed their opponents 43-3 before staging an extraordinary comeback which at one stage threatened to see them overhaul the French.
However O’Sullivan — whose side displayed an elan in the second-half that was missing from their matches last autumn — bemoaned the ”schoolboy errors” that handed France a virtually unassailable advantage.
”For the first try, Tommy Bowe slipped coming into the defensive line which was just one of those things.
”For the other tries, we had an intercept, a block down and a spilled ball. Those are things that are schoolboy errors. We addressed the errors at half-time but we still made a silly mistake at the start of the second half for their sixth try.
”After that, we just stopped making silly errors, held on to the ball, ran at the French and took them through the phases.”
O’Sullivan said that the French had done little to create tries and had merely scavenged off what the Irish gave them — which, fortunately for the hosts, was a lot.
”I don’t think France did that much except pick up the scraps that we gave them,” said O’Sullivan.
”We did everything today, the French contributed nothing.”
His French counterpart Bernard Laporte had been beaming at half-time as several of the players who he had brought into the team following the 20-16 defeat by Scotland had made their mark with Aurelien Rougerie and Olivier Magne scoring tries.
However the French handler was generally more pleased than disappointed after the performance.
”We have rarely scored more than 40 points in 50 minutes against teams of the calibre of Ireland,” said the 40-year-old.
”We played a great 50 minutes then we blew out physically. We wasted a lot of energy too when we failed to find touch. I was disappointed by the final half hour but very happy to have won.”
Laporte denied that his side had taken their foot off the pedal.
”No, no, no. We spoke about this at half-time. Ireland played with a lot of intensity in the second half. They are a very good team.”
However he was ecstatic at the spirit that Magne, Rougerie and Raphael Ibanez had brought to the team, a quality he had accused his players of lacking against the Scots.
”Olivier Magne and Rafael Ibanez played very well. They brought us their experience. Aurelien Rougerie also played very well.”
Rougerie agreed with Laporte over the manner in which the French had run out of steam.
”It is the hardest end to a match that I have ever experienced,” admitted the experienced winger.
”The Irish really had us on the red.”
However Laporte was seething about the jeers, boos and whistles aimed at fly-half Frederic Michalak when he left the pitch with 11 minutes remaining.
”We should return to the old values of rugby,” said Laporte, who has been one of Michalak’s sternest critics.
”All these bourgeois pieces of shit, I would have them thrown out of the stadium.
”They should know that Michalak will play again. It is not them who will change my mind.
”Frederic alternated between the good and the less good today [Saturday], but he pleased me, and I say that in all honesty.
”In contrast to the public, I am going to help him.”
France manager Jo Maso compared the behaviour of the Irish supporters when they were trailing 43-3 to that of the French when Michalak left the pitch.
”When Ireland were losing 43-3, we heard 5 000 Irish people singing along to support their team whereas for us, the French supporters started to jeer and whistle as soon as the first kick went wrong.”
Michalak admitted that he had been affected by it.
”Of course it always affects one when one is whistled,” said Michalak, who has had an up and down international career and was used as a substitute in the Six Nations campaign last season.
”One gives ones best each time, but it doesn’t always come off. The public can draw their own conclusions, but the team won and that is the most important thing.” – AFP
