Coach Fabien Galthié arrived relaxed at a press conference three quarters of an hour after the historic success of the Blues against the All Blacks (40-25) at the Stade de France.
A performance that allows the Blues to position themselves as serious candidates for victory for the 2023 World Cup in France.
How do you explain this success?
In the preparation, I saw players ready, determined and who believed in themselves.
I saw a team build.
A team that was there for two hours.
Are you sending a message to your competitors for the 2023 World Cup?
It is a moment on our journey that is important.
It was the twentieth game since we took charge of this team.
This is an important time to continue living so intensely.
This last match of this autumn tour (Editor's note: victories against Argentina 29-20 and Georgia 41-15), it was a meeting.
There is a great deal of satisfaction.
It was a great moment.
Read also France-New Zealand (40-25): the notes of the Blues
What did you think about the revival of Romain Ntamack who saves the Blues?
Yes, it's an incredible moment in this game.
It's the start of the second half, and we are in a very weak time.
It's as if Romain and the team had decided to say stop: “We gave you enough points, it's over”.
What is your overall assessment of this tour?
We have three wins.
It is difficult to make a quick assessment when we are launched and we see further.
We have seen a lot of emulation.
This team is in place collectively.
She has weapons at her disposal.
What did you say at halftime when you were leading 24-6?
It was a tactical-based message.
We said frankly that we could do better.
They had been given too easy penalties.
And there was this passage at the start of the second half which gave them easy keys.
"They live without taking the lead"
Does this victory make you a candidate for the world title?
It is not this result that makes us a candidate but our ambition, that of the players, our preparation for two years.
This result is a consequence of that.
What can you improve?
Hot, it's hard to tell.
We will take the time.
But keeping this level already makes us a team that matters.
Did your players surprise you?
What we feel is that these players believe in themselves collectively.
They live without taking the lead.
This victory will not change our vision.
We do not take ourselves for others for all that.