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Head On: France declared their intentions from the off
France coach Bernard Laporte promised more of the same after seeing his side stage a stunning second-half fightback to beat New Zealand 20-18 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.
The exiled hosts, who trailed 13-3 at halftime, now return home to prepare for a semi-final with England in Paris after the defending champions also overcame the odds to record an equally dramatic 12-10 victory over Australia in Marseille earlier in the day.
For the All Blacks, 13-0 up as early as the 30th minute, defeat was arguably as devastating as their unexpected 43-31 loss to France in the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 1999.
"Bravo to all the players," said Laporte, with a grin that went from ear to ear.
"After losing the first match to Argentina, we suffered a lot of things but tonight the response was there. We beat a great team and we want to go further.
"We didn't want to play the game here in Cardiff but we had to because we lost our first game.
"We had to pick ourselves up and get ourselves back in the World Cup.
"The players reacted with a lot of determination. They didn't want to die today. This team really showed a lot of guts because we weren't playing in France.
"The All Blacks certainly had far more possession than us but our discipline was excellent - it really played a great role in our win.
"We kicked the ball a bit aimlessly in the first half but the players were patient, and in terms of possession, things balanced themselves out in the second half.
"It was a good win for us, but from tomorrow we start thinking about England. It's going to be another really tough match."
France captain Raphaël Ibañez, who was in the team that beat New Zealand in 1999, revealed his players went eyeball-to-eyeball with the All Blacks during the pre-match haka to demonstrate their pride in the jersey.
"We took the decision three days ago," he said.
"We weren't trying to indulge in provocation - we have a lot of respect for the haka.
"But by nailing our flags to the mast, we wanted to show how proud we were of wearing our country's colours.
"I believe that every time you play New Zealand you have to play out of your skin and that's what happened this evening. This will remain with me for the rest of my life.
"It was a great victory. They players really gave everything right until the end. In the World Cup courage and team spirit can make a big difference. We played with a lot of heart.
"At half-time we talked very well and Bernard told us that at 13-3 the last 40 minutes were the most important in our lives."
