Disappointed Lièvremont looks ahead
Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:36
France's third-place finish in the Six Nations tournament, their worst performance since 2003, is unacceptable, coach Marc Lièvremont said on Sunday.
French hopes of sneaking ahead of Wales for their third northern hemisphere title in a row were demolished under the roof of the Millennium Dome in Cardiff on Saturday as the home side cut loose late in the game to win 29-12, taking the Grand Slam in the process.
With England finishing in style at home to Ireland, France found themselves relegated to third position and Lièvremont facing some questions over his selection policy.
"It's too early yet to come to any firm conclusions, but it's true that a third place finish out of six teams for a nation like France is a disappointment," he said.
"We had been hoping to do better. We did have the feeling that we were competitive, but we cannot content ourselves with that.
"It's up to us to come up with the correct strategic solutions, but that is going to take time."
A former international flanker, Lièvremont was a suprise choice for the France coaching job following Bernard Laporte's resignation at the end of the World Cup which saw France lose to England in the semifinals in Paris.
Several top players like Fabien Pelous, Christophe Domenici and Raphael Ibanez ended their international careers and Lièvremont decided he would use this year's Six Nations to take a look at what talent he had available to him.
An impressive opening win away to Scotland was followed by a stuttering performance at home to Ireland, a 24-13 loss to England in Paris and a far-from-convincing victory over Italy.
A victory in Wales would have cast the season in a better light, but it was not to be, although Lièvremont insists that there were several areas of satisfaction.
"I was very pleased with the way that all our players fully invested themselves in the project we set out with many young players being called up," he said.
"We really had a great collective spirit in our squads and that meant a lot to us. It's up to each individual now to ascertain what they need to do to contribute to our efforts to match the best teams."
Next up for France and Lièvremont is a summer tour to Australia for which he knows already that he will have to do without the services of four of his top teams who will stay behind to compete in the semifinals of the national championship.
"It's going to be a gruelling tour - a tour full of dangers for us," he said.
"What worries me is how fresh and fit the players will be, especially those who played in the World Cup and who will have been playing non-stop for almost 12 months.
"To have to do without our top players due to club commitements is a second worry. It's always tough to match up with southern hemisphere sides who are in top nick coming off their Super 14 tournament.
"But we can use the occasion to take a further look at new talent and new potential."
On a personal level Lièvremont said that he had taken huge pleasure from being in charge and that he had established excellent relationships with both coaching staff and players.
Sapa
