Fireworks, on and off the field. After their resounding success on Friday evening against Italy (60-7), the players of the XV of France were welcomed as heroes, on their return to the hotel, by many supporters. The atmosphere was logically celebratory, after this convincing success before the quarter-finals. Fireworks were even set off when they got off the bus. With Damian Penaud who even started a few dance steps…
“We’re going to have a good time together,” said coach Fabien Galthié. And then we will look towards our second World Cup final, after having already played a first against New Zealand. We know what awaits us next Sunday: a final, I repeat.” It will be time after this weekend to look forward to the quarter-finals, presumably against the reigning world champion Springboks. French players are entitled to two days of rest, Saturday and Sunday.
Then, they will return to their base camp in Rueil-Malmaison, in the Paris suburbs. “It’s a second World Cup that’s starting,” says the Blues opener, Matthieu Jalibert. We have three finals: a quarter, a half and a final to get to the end. It’s a new competition for life and death. It’s very exciting because we prepared hard for this, to experience these kinds of moments.”