Marcoussis (France) (AFP)
XV manager of France Raphaël Ibanez spoke of "a rude and puerile attack of another age", responding Thursday to Welsh pillar Wyn Jones who accused the French fray of cheating.
"It is a rude and puerile attack from another age. We have referents, they are the referees of the Tournament with whom we work well, very intelligently. A coach or an opposing player are not our referents. See them have fear of that kind makes us smile, "said Ibanez, a former international hooker with 98 caps.
"Cheater, the word is strong. We could, we, wonder about the fate reserved for their scrum half, which multiplies the knockouts since the World Cup and still passes the concussion protocols, which are managed by the Welsh Federation ... ", he added.
Same story from the coach, who spoke of "a lack of respect".
"It is a lack of respect for our fray, a lack of respect for our team, a lack of respect for French rugby but also for our nation. This is the Tournament of the six nations and, in the Six Nations Tournament, there is no room for this kind of remarks ", assured Fabien Galthié.
"Then their scrum, in their last two games, has fallen to the ground thirteen times. It has been sanctioned six times. We have been sanctioned four times. There," added the coach of the Blues.
The day before, Wyn Jones had explained that the XV of France had "a big pack but probably not very disciplined, especially in melee".
"We know they are going to hit, chase and cheat. This is something we are fully aware of and will have to face that day. They will want to push before the introduction and disturb us. We will have to focus on us themselves, cancel their indiscipline and hope that they will not get away with it, "he said.
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