France coach Bernard Laporte said his battered young team had learnt a painful but valuable lesson about the reality of international rugby following their record 61-10 loss to New Zealand.
Laporte selected an inexperienced squad for the two-match tour because it clashed with the French club championship and the result was a massacre.
New Zealand won the first match 42-11 then Saturday’s second Test by 51 points to hand the French their heaviest defeat in 101 years of international rugby.
The cost of defeat was not only felt on the scoreboard.
Centres Lionel Mazars and Arnaud Mignardi suffered fractures, skipper Pascal Pape left the field feeling dizzy and number eight Sebastien Chabal injured his shoulder.
Laporte, who had spent the lead-up to the second match trading insults with the New Zealanders, conceded his team had been taught a lesson.
”The opposition was far too fast and strong for us,” he told a news conference on Sunday.
”The team spirit was very good. The new players had nothing to lose and I was happy with the way they trained and performed.
”But these players will now realise what it is like to play against a very good All Blacks team.”
France manager Jo Maso said he could not fault the effort of his players, but they were unable to cope with the relentless power and strength of the All Blacks.
”We had 20 and 21-year-olds out there and the power and the strength of the All Blacks hurt us,” Maso said.
”Such young guys are not used to facing such intensity for 80 minutes and they didn’t perform especially well in the second half.”
The dismal performance of the French ruined what had promised to be a classic encounter between the European champions and the southern hemisphere’s best team, but the result showed why the All Blacks are rated favourites to win the World Cup.
”We’re very disappointed to lose by so many points, but it is all preparation for the World Cup and I hope we will be on time for this competition,” France flanker Olivier Magne said in a televised interview.
”They’re the best team in the world and it’s always very hard against them. You know you can’t give anything when you play at this level.” – Reuters