“It’s difficult to remain conscientious when the score increases,” recalls Dupont

Antoine Dupont after the big victory against Japan (52-12) this Saturday evening, at the microphone of TF1 : “We were pragmatic at the start of the match by playing a lot of turnover balls. I think we all had the appetite and the desire to play hard. We got the score quite quickly but a little waste didn't allow us to have enough consistency throughout the match. But the copy is obviously positive”.

He continued his analysis at a press conference after the meeting. “I had good feelings in the game. There was desire, appetite and pleasure, above all, despite a few mistakes. When you take the score so broadly, there is always a little relaxation. But I found us quite consistent. The Japanese imposed long sequences of play on us and we responded well, with intensity in the collisions. It's difficult to remain conscientious in placement and replacement when the score is swelling, but I found us serious overall.

The captain of the Blues concluded with a few words about the Blues' future opponent, New Zealand. “As a rugby fan, we love seeing the All Blacks play like that again. But above all, beyond their individualities, it is the physical intensity that they exert. It’s up to us to raise our level to respond to the threat.”