Victory, and that's it.
This is the mantra displayed by Fabien Galthié this Saturday, a few minutes after the victory of the XV of France snatched at the end of the match against Scotland at Murrayfield (16-20).
“When you win in Scotland, you know, the content… That suits me,” he summed up at a press conference.
While several facts of the game - notably the injury to Grégory Alldritt, hit in the left leg (50th) and the video refereeing sequence at the end of the match - could have changed the result of the match, the coach especially praised the merits of his team facing great adversity.
“It’s a combat sport, you have to fight.
You have to accept adversity.
We did it this week.
We lose together, we suffer together, we win together.
First of all, it's a victory in Scotland with a fantastic scenario, after a week together, with the players, which reminds us of the values of this game. The week looked like this match.
We had a lot of fun together,” Galthié continued.
“This is not the first time we have had difficult times”
Then, the coach returned to the last phase of the game.
The one where the Blues avoided defeat by a whisker, when substitute Sam Skinner saw his ball blocked when he was going to flatten.
“The referee says there is no try.
But we are in Edinburgh, with crazy pressure.
He requests video refereeing.
The field referee is very well placed, he says there is no try.
But anything can happen, we're used to it.
He confirmed his decision... I experienced it, like the week, with great happiness, with great joy.
It's not the first time we've had difficult times, that's how we build ourselves.
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Read also Scotland-France (16-20): Bielle-Biarrey liberator, Alldritt fighter… Notes from the XV of France
With an undisguised smile, Galthié continued to talk about his satisfaction.
“I promised you that the France team was going to win again.
(…) We are not here to give demonstrations, we are here to win matches (…) The content is fantastic.
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With a victory and a defeat, the Blues will host Italy on February 25 for the third day of the 2024 Six Nations Tournament.