France – New Zealand. Scott Robertson (All Blacks coach): “Louis Bielle-Biarrey is incredibly fast”

How do you analyze this narrow defeat at the Stade de France?

I'm proud of what our players did Saturday night. We played very good rugby, we put the French under pressure but unfortunately, we were not able to take advantage of all the opportunities presented to us. France was very strong in defense and realistic on counterattacks: on this subject, Louis Bielle-Biarrey is incredibly fast, isn't he?

Was your dominance in the closed scrum sufficiently rewarded in the first half?

If you ask the question, it is because you must have an idea about it… I think that we were very good in this sector of play, which allowed us to offer good balls at the hinge and at our line of attack.

Also read:
XV of France – Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the evolution of a supersonic player and in clear progress

At the Stade de France, you used the footwork less than in your previous matches. For what ?

We wanted to keep the ball as much as possible and generate fatigue in them. Maybe we should have said a little more, I don't know… On this meeting in Paris, we simply didn't highlight our highlights enough.

Scrum-half Cameron Roigard and left prop Tamaiti Williams have both made a strong impression at the Stade de France. How did you judge them?

Cameron took responsibility, converted the opportunities that presented themselves well and ultimately, this match was a great moment for him: after what he showed in Ireland last week, he obviously deserved to start against the Blues. Tamaiti Williams is a world-class player, who loves the scrum and remains very efficient in this sector of the game, which is naturally very important in his position.