Fabien Galthié, the coach, and Antoine Dupont, the captain, appeared in a press conference after France’s defeat against South Africa (29-28) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Sunday, October 15th. They were sad and disappointed.
Fabien Galthié, the coach of France, expressed his understanding of the players’ frustration regarding the referee’s decisions, but he will move on from it. He accepts the referee’s decisions and will not dwell on it. In the heat of the moment, there is a lot of frustration and difficult emotions to process. Above all, he congratulates the South Africans and wishes them well on their journey with respect and fair play.
We have written a very beautiful page in the history of rugby for 4 years. We can be proud of that but also sad about the result of this Sunday. Tonight, two players have announced that they are quitting, Uini Atonio and Romain Taofifenua. Personally, I have a contract until June 2028, so this defeat does not affect my future. I have no regrets about what happened during this competition. We have the right to lose as it happened during this match. It’s a one-point difference defeat…
Kolisi: « The French people can be proud. »
Jacques Nienaber, the Springboks’ coach, expressed that playing against the French in France was akin to a true test match. He acknowledged that the French team is still developing but possesses immense talent. Nienaber anticipated a close contest, as all the matches have been decided in the final 10 minutes.
Regarding the refereeing, I believe Ben O’Keeffe did well. You might say I’m biased because we won, but we scored 4 tries.
Syia Kolisi, the captain of the Springboks, expressed his pride in the team’s unity and fighting spirit during the match. He acknowledged that they have no control over the referee’s decisions and focused on the fantastic, physical nature of the game. Kolisi commended Antoine Dupont for his impressive comeback after injury and praised the French team, stating that they can hold their heads high despite the narrow loss. The Springboks recognized the importance of staying determined and knew that they needed something extraordinary to secure the victory.
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