France reaction (Penaud, head coach Galthié, Ollivon, Jelonch, Ramos, Danty, Baille, Cros, Bourgarit, Fickou, Flament)

France reaction (Penaud, head coach Galthié, Ollivon, Jelonch, Ramos, Danty, Baille, Cros, Bourgarit, Fickou, Flament)

MIXED ZONE

François Cros, back row

On the performance:

"We got off to a great start and stayed on course for 80 minutes. It's positive that we managed to build up the match and win by such a large scoreline."

On Antoine Dupont's injury:

"I hope it's not serious. If it is, it would obviously have an impact on him and on us. We still have some experienced nines who can take over.


"Watching the replay, we knew the decision the referee would make. But we had no idea about Toto's [Antoine Dupont’s] condition. We didn’t know if he was going off as a precaution or if he was really hurt until the end of the match."

Pierre Bourgarit, hooker


On the emotions after the match:

"We're a lot happier than we were seven days ago. Not everything worked out 100 per cent but we're not going to be picky and say it wasn't good. We're pretty satisfied with the performance."

Gaël Fickou, centre

On Antoine Dupont:

"At the moment, we don't know what's wrong. We're obviously waiting and waiting. We're frustrated for him. I hope he'll be able to play and that it's nothing serious. We're all waiting impatiently for the results. When he went off, we suspected it was a bit serious."

On the performance:

"We knew that if we got into our rhythm, things would go well. We're very happy. Every time we got on the front foot, they struggled. We reassured ourselves in a lot of areas. That's positive."

Thibaud Flament, second row

On the emotions in the dressing room after the match:

"A lot of satisfaction. It's the reaction we were expecting after [the match against Uruguay] last week. We're very happy tonight. We were in control throughout. We could have made the easy mistake of relaxing in the second half, but we managed to keep our shape, not lose the ball easily and stick to our game plan."

MEDIA CONFERENCE

Fabien Galthié, head coach

On injury concerns other than Antoine Dupont:

"There are minor knocks. Uini Atonio's knee is nothing serious and Paul Boudehent underwent a concussion protocol that was positive."

On keeping Dupont on after half-time:

"What do you want me to say? You can't take 14 players off at half-time. Our plan was to bring off one, three and five at half-time, then the rest at the 55th minute. The aim was to give everyone some game-time and not sit back for a month. The players wanted and needed to play."

On the break to the next match against Italy:

"Our next match is in 15 days. We'll take stock of everyone's condition and quickly put together a team. The training cycle is already scheduled. We'll stay here, have three days off and then start another week of training. We're no longer preparing, we're developing certain areas. And in the week leading to the Italy game, we'll focus on our opponents."

Charles Ollivon, vice-captain and back row

On Dupont's injury:

"There was an interception, everyone went under the posts, we started to regroup. Then, on the big screen, we saw the images - and from the first one, we knew what was going on. These things happen quite often in matches. It happens, it's part of our job. We started again.

On discipline:

"We played two serious 40-minute periods. We were diligent, everyone stayed focused. It shows the strength of our team in this match. Four penalties means a lot."

On setting a points record:

"We weren't thinking about that before the match. We wanted to play our game, but we didn't know how it was going to go. We'd been working with William [Servat] all week. We were effective and that made the difference. During the match, with 54 points at half-time, we realised the win was in the bag but that didn't change our mood."

ON-FIELD REACTION 

Damian Penaud, Mastercard Player of the Match

On his hat-trick:

"The tries are anecdotal. We'll remember today's victory. We played well together, we kept going for 80 minutes, we enjoyed ourselves and we're proud of the people who came to see us. I think that's the most important thing."

On the record number of points scored by France:

"It's the work we've been doing for the past four years. We were determined to play well together, to play well as a team, something we weren’t able to do in the last two games. Now we've found a bit of cohesion on the pitch, it bodes well for the future."

Fabien Galthié, head coach

On the match:

"I'll remember the win and the stadium. You've got to congratulate the Marseille crowd for the incredible atmosphere. The points scored, zero points conceded. It was a serious match."

On Antoine Dupont’s injury:

"There's a suspicion of a crack or fracture in his jaw. He's gone for tests. We'll wait for the results before moving forward. We need to take advantage of this great victory and the players' fine performance."

Charles Ollivon, back row

On the atmosphere:

"It's great to be in a stadium like this. When you come here, the atmosphere is enormous. We put our game together really well. We did everything we'd worked on during the week. That's going to help us in future."

Anthony Jelonch, back row

On playing his second match after injury:

"It's better than last week. I'm feeling a lot better. I really wanted to play again. I've done it. I'm feeling better and better."

On the French team's performance:

"We were a bit frustrated last week. We said we had to start as if we were playing a knockout match. I think we put in the right ingredients tonight. When you play to this level, you win."

Thomas Ramos, full-back

On the performance:

"We told ourselves we had to be good in attack and as a team. Despite a bit of rubbish, which is normal in games like this, it was positive. We didn't concede a point. Against Uruguay, we said we wanted to take less than seven, but we took 12. Not conceding a try despite some difficult situations is positive."

On the break before the next match:

"We're lucky that our families can come for three days. We're going to make the most of it to recharge our batteries. Then we're going to start the home stretch and prepare for the Italy game."

Jonathan Danty, centre

On the matches to come:

"We have to start with Italy before moving on to the quarter-final. We know that every time we play the Italians, it's difficult. We'll have three days with our families and a week to prepare for the match."

Cyril Baille, prop

On his return:

"I'm very happy. I know I'm still lacking some rhythm but it went well. I was supposed to play for 40 minutes. I didn't feel any pain, that's the main thing. It felt really good. I hadn't played for six weeks.

On the match against Italy:

"We know that every match at a World Cup is tough. They're very strong. It will be a match that's not to be taken lightly.”

On the Italian scrum:

"They're very strong. They work really well together. Every time, these are very committed matches. We're going to prepare accordingly."

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