Barely a few hours after a high-flying show performed in the coldness of Saint-Denis, the emotion has not yet subsided. The success of the XV of France against New Zealand (40-25), Saturday, November 20, during the last meeting of the autumn tour of Antoine Dupont’s teammates is still in everyone’s minds this Sunday. So much so that qualifiers are almost running out, including headlines around the world.
“All blue all flame”. The message has the merit of being clear. In today’s issue, The team returns to the madness that seized the Blues at the Stade de France. While most of Fabien Galthié’s men faced the All Blacks for the first time, they did not have any inferiority complex, far from it. “Boosted”, “Bold”, the French players have made speak all their collective talent to offer themselves a success expected since 2009.
The front page of L’Équipe newspaper this Sunday, November 21> https://t.co/lYEcVs3A2H pic.twitter.com/Lxl72z5iXA
– THE TEAM (@the team) November 21, 2021
“On a cloud”, “Big Blues”, “Heroics”… In the region too, Damian Penaud and others are greeted on the front page of Republican Lorrain, of Parisian or the Midi Dispatch. The winger’s interception in the second period is not without being welcomed, as are the XXL performances of Romain Ntamack and Peato Mauvaka.
Sunday November 21 front page https://t.co/0b7FCe2C1c pic.twitter.com/W2Z0w9YBWE
– The Parisian | the one (@leparisien_une) November 21, 2021
Also abroad, the performance of the Blues is praised. But it is above all the relative weakness of the Blacks that is underlined, in particular by the Telegraph. The British daily explains that Will Jordan and his teammates “were beaten at their own game of fast, unstructured rugby based on a solid organization”.
France run riot in Paris to consign All Blacks to successive defeats #FRAvNZL https://t.co/962e9vNMsi
– Telegraph Sport (@TelegraphSport) November 20, 2021
For New Zealand newspaper New Zealand Herald, Ian Foster’s men buckle down “their worst season since 2009 and its three setbacks”, after two successive defeats against two European nations, Ireland (29-20), last week and therefore France on Saturday. Enough to give rise to legitimate concerns two years before the Rugby World Cup … scheduled for France in 2023.
Here’s how the world media reacted to the All Blacks loss to France this morning. https://t.co/cGH50lNSAQ pic.twitter.com/03rnJuvwkK
– nzherald (@nzherald) November 21, 2021