The France team, supported by 80,000 home supporters, defeated Scott Robertson’s All Blacks by one point in the Stade de France.
First five scorer Thomas Ramos, who had 15 points and kicked all six of his attempts, put on an outstanding display to aid France.
With five minutes remaining and four points behind, All Blacks captain Scott Barrett decided to take the three in front of the posts, forcing the game into the dying minutes.
After the heart-stopping loss, All Blacks star winger Caleb Clarke stated his teammates were in pain.
Minutes after the final whistle against France, Caleb Clarke told the reporters, “I was immediately disappointed and a little hurt. It’s normal to feel a little hurt after that loss. Boys got around each other after the final whistle went because everyone put it all out there.”
You could sense it in the changing rooms, man. Everyone was in pain, but it was pain all over again. The side of all black people is also hazardous.
“I’m really looking forward to playing Italy again next week and hurting our next opponents.”
A error by Tupou Vaa’i with the ball in hand allowed France to regain the lead early in the second half by a try from Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Late in the second half, the All Blacks remained within striking distance of France, settling for three points on several occasions.
Clarke acknowledges that the All Blacks had chances to win the match but were not clinical.
We discussed it in the locker rooms. France played a fantastic game that put us under strain; we had our chances but kind of let them slide. Sport goes one winner, and winning Test matches requires small margins.
Clarke attributed his 14 carries and two line breaks, which were equal to the game high, to the quantity of ball his teammates were able to pass to him.
“I believe I was just relieved to have the ball; I wanted to hold it much more and get some momentum, so I felt like getting on the edges.”
“I think we tried to force the pass, especially in the guttering part of the 22—forcing the pass or missing the clean—which really made us lose the game in the end, even though we had some success coming back down the blindside.”
Clarke gives credit to the coaching staff and the messaging the players receive when asked how the All Blacks balance the risk and reward passes on attack.
“During the week, Razor (Scott Robertson) does a fantastic job of encouraging us to play freely and express ourselves, but he also reminds us not to force passes, making sure we make contact before throwing them or that the person we are passing to is open and free.”
“We had a great week leading up to the game, and Razor is really balancing it well. That’s probably why it hurts a little more that we didn’t get the result, especially since it’s by one point.”
Clarke, 25, said he had a lot of respect for France’s talisman and top halfback, Antoine Dupont, with whom he faced for the first time.
“I think that was my first encounter with that guy, and I have a lot of respect for him. I was just saying, ‘Where the hell did you even come from?’ before he tackled me, but I didn’t even see him coming.”
In his commentary on the rugby GOAT controversy, Clarke was questioned if Dupont could still be the best without playing away from home.
The All Blacks winger continues to support his countryman as the greatest of all time.
“Until he can play against him, I still believe Richie McCaw to be the greatest of all time. We’ll see how that goes.”
