Saint-Andre: We were better
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France coach Philippe Saint-Andre insisted the best side won after their 29-26 victory over Australia on Saturday.
The Wallabies almost snatched victory late in Paris after Rob Simmons reduced the deficit to three points in the dying minutes at the Stade de France.
But France held on for the win after Ben Alexander dropped the ball in the final minute as the home team recorded just their third victory against Australia since 2005.
Post-game, Saint-Andre was adamant his team were deserved winners, despite almost throwing away the lead.
"I truly believe the best team won today," said Saint-Andre.
"Today we can be happy about the intensity and the ferocity the entire French side displayed during the game.
"Even if at the end of the first half we lacked physical impact, and the same can be said at the end of the second half as well, we stuck to our game plan and showed great enthusiasm and desire to win.
"As soon as we were on the ball, we put a lot of pressure on them. Now we will take the time to appreciate this achievement tonight.
"After that we will start to prepare from tomorrow for the next big game against Argentina."
Saturday's success was the first time Thierry Dusautoir had captained France to victory against the Wallabies and the 32-year-old was understandably pleased.
"This victory will bring us a lot of positive because we were on a run of three straight defeats against Australia," Dusautoir said.
"To succeed in beating them tonight is a huge boost to the team. It is not only about the final result, but also about the way we played and how we put them under pressure.
"We were successful in implementing our game plan and worked hard. We had a very good performance in defence as well and that put them in a lot of trouble."
Sportal
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