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Subscribe to RSS FeedLaporte lauds the Pumas
Walking Away: Bernard Laporte's long tenure is now at an end
Departing France coach Bernard Laporte was philosophical about his side's emphatic 34-10 defeat to Argentina in Friday's Bronze Medal match in Paris, admitting they had not shaken the hangover from the agonising semi-final defeat to England.
The result, secured thanks to stunning tries by Felipe Contepomi (two), Omar Hasan, Federico Martin Aramburu and Ignacio Corleto, brought back memories of the shock 17-12 win earned by the South Americans on the tournament's opening night.
That Stade de France triumph was built around sturdy defence and although they showed the same resolve here at the Parc des Princes, their attacking edge came to the fore this time.
But the Pumas were aided in their quest by a very ponderous showing from the hosts, who were full of niggle but almost bereft of ideas.
Laporte, who now takes up his post as France's junior sports minister, conceded his team could not match Argentina and rued France's many missed opportunities.
"It was hard to get so close last week and miss out but the best team won today," he Laporte.
"They have beaten us twice in this competition. They are stronger than us. They had a great World Cup and finished third. It was the right result.
"We dominated the first 30 minutes but missed three opportunities and their counter-attacks killed us. We tried to come back but it was too late."
Meanwhile, France captain Raphaël Ibanez would not confirm whether he had played his final game for Les Bleus - despite the stadium announcer declaring he had.
"All I can say is there will be more rugby," said the Wasps hooker.
"I will take my time to decide what is next for me. It's not in my thoughts right now - right now I am just angry.
"There will be other rugby matches. We gave a lot of effort to this game.
"In a week, month or year, we will look back with a lot of criticism of this team which is deserved as we didn't achieve what we wanted. I don't know if I will be there or not.
"Obviously I didn't want to finish the competition this way. You can see how disappointed the players are.
"We missed too many opportunities at the start of the match, it would have put us in a strong position for the rest of the match.
"They exploited the turnovers, they were precise in the turnovers and were better than us."
The so-called 'match no one wanted' descended into near anarchy towards the end of the first half as that podium spot receded from France's grasp.
Ibanez was caught in the eye of the storm and earned a yellow card for stamping as his frustrations got the better of him.
"We want the match to be controlled as much as possible, it was not the case, especially around the ruck," he said.
"What can you do? The players were lying on the ball and we lost our composure a bit. I don't condone this, but frankly after a while, we had to react.
"It was in the heat of the game. What do you want me to do when someone is committing an offence, and again, and again? Should I give them a kiss?"
But Ibanez was still able to pay Argentina generous praise, saying that he supported the Pumas' quest for inclusion in a major annual tournament.
"I think they have an exceptional generation of players and I think they need to enjoy their success because I'm not sure if they will find another generation like this in the future - I told the players to enjoy the evening," he said.
"Argentina's work here is proof of their high level of game. They are all excellent players, but a lot are ending their careers.
"I'm concerned for the future of that team. Will they be able to restore at the right levels? Clearly they deserve to play in a tournament. They will be celebrating third place and it is very well-deserved."
