French sports newspaper L'Equipe has hit out at nzherald.co.nz, accusing it of initiating a "scandal" surrounding French captain Thierry Dusautoir and allegations of eye-gouging on Richie McCaw.
The French newspaper responded to Rugby commentator Keith Quinn's claims that the All Blacks captain was the victim of eye-gouging towards the end of the match. Quinn had told Radio New Zealand that French skipper Dusautoir, who was named IRB player of the year, was "right there" at the time of the incident.
"One might have thought that the title of World Champions for the All Blacks had finally calmed the New Zealand Herald. But a few hours before the Blues boarded their plane to France, the daily Auckland newspaper sent a final farewell to the French team. To their captain in particular," L'Equipe's Vincent Pere-Lahaille wrote.
"Keith Quinn has obtained this information from within the New Zealand camp. This incident could explain why the All Blacks and the Blues did not exchange shirts at the end of the match and why the French team was not mentioned in [the All Blacks'] post-match speech," Pere-Lahaille continued.
"According to our information, no player of the All Blacks has raised this controversy during the ceremony. A scandal again, therefore, initiated by the New Zealand Herald."
Sport.fr announced: "In one game the French team managed to totally change the image in the newspaper columns."
But Marc Lievremont's side continued to draw the attention of the media following some unsavoury moments during and after the final.
France 24's Emmanuel Versace reflected on the latest incidents surrounding the French side. In his article "France-New Zealand: the latest controversies" Versace pointed out that at the IRB ceremony "Richie McCaw and the New Zealand staff did not complain about an eye-gouge from the French".
"As for the Blues, Lionel Rossigneux, responsible for media liaison of the French team, declined to comment on this latest controversy, reminding them that Richie McCaw was the one responsible for kneeing Morgan Parra in the final," he wrote.
"To finish with a flourish, Pascal Pape apparently spat, according to witnesses, on a photographer who was harassing him on the terrace of a French restaurant in Auckland."
Regarding the media coverage of the controversies, Versace said: "Can't wait for this to be over..."
Europe 1 reacted to the fine dished out by the IRB to the French side for advancing over the halfway line during the All Blacks haka. It doubted that the amount of the fine will dissuade future French teams from accepting the challenge of the haka.
- Herald Online
