NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup: The French enigma

Andrew Alderson
By Andrew Alderson
Reporter·Herald on Sunday·
15 Oct, 2011 04:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The French destroyed England at Eden Park last weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

The French destroyed England at Eden Park last weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Why are the French so, well, French in their enigmatic performances at Rugby World Cups?

Two New Zealanders who have had prominent experiences with French rugby suggest the contradictory ingredients of self-confidence and humiliation are behind the same contradiction that has emerged this year.

The team that lost two pool
games went on to blast England out of the quarter-finals last week, just as they dismissed New Zealand from the last eight in 2007 and last four in 1999 and Australia from the semifinals in 1987.

The common theory is France are always capable of one big performance at World Cups but top coach Vern Cotter and former All Black Mike Clamp (who has lived the better part of 25 years in France) have shed further light on why Les Tricolors remain one of the tournament's most anticipated mysteries.

Cotter coached Clermont Auvergne to the French top 14 championship in 2010. He took the side to the final in his first three years after successful stints with the Crusaders and Bay of Plenty (who secured the Ranfurly Shield under him for the first time in 2004).

The club have offered Cotter a two-year contract extension which he will consider after the World Cup. His decision could depend on tonight's All Blacks/Wallabies result.

He explains the French mindset: "They like to go into matches as underdogs and be humiliated before they respond. They're a proud people with high expectations but they get comfortable quickly. The French often work best reactively. Sometimes they know they can afford to lose; they need to have consequences to get themselves up.

"The French often talk about moments de verite (moments of truth) when they play. That sums up the times when they know everything they do will count towards the result; where they can't afford to fail.

"It didn't surprise me to see them lose to Tonga because there wasn't enough on it. The French don't mind losing when they know they are capable of bouncing back. In fact I watched that 1999 World Cup game the other night [between the All Blacks and France]. New Zealand got hammered physically; the French won the one-on-one contests. They are also capable of so many forms of rugby. They recognise a good blindside, they have fast backs, they have hard forwards and long kickers."

Clamp has owned a surf shop in the south-west town of Biarritz for 19 years.

He married Frenchwoman Sylvie and has based his life there with her and their three children. He played 15 matches for New Zealand in the three-quarters during 1984-85 and five seasons with Biarritz in the late 1980s. He agrees with Cotter.

"Coaches would rant, rave and scream at players. They'd say 'you're useless' and individuals would thrive on the negativity, happy to feel like the worst player in the world. The French like to prove a guy is wrong, whereas New Zealanders generally like to be pumped up on positivity.

"I remember watching some interesting warm-ups. Props would head butt each other until the steam came out their ears. Then they'd sprint into the corridor almost doing forward rolls onto the field; there'd be a couple of scrums and a couple of huge brawls in the first few minutes before you'd settle into some rugby.

"If you are a spectator, one of the most important things to watch is the French national anthem. If their faces are red and patchy it probably means they've been smashing them into walls. It's their way of saying, 'Gee whizz, we've got a game to play here'. If they're looking blasé then generally the result is terrible. It's a bit different now I think, once they started bringing in the odd psychologist."

Cotter, who also played several years in France, agrees: "Years ago games wouldn't start until players had been treated for scraps they'd had prior to going on the field." Former All Black coach Alex Wyllie has often told the tale of seeing French forwards head butting each other in the toilets before a test.

Despite the self-flagellation both agree the French rugby player generally has a wealth of self-confidence: "Le coq [rooster] on their emblem is the perfect example of how they are," Clamp says. "The typical Frenchman walks around with his chest puffed out, like he owns the world. It is a terrific way to express oneself. In response, the best way to play them is to kick them up the arse so le coq runs back to its pen and hides.

"At Clermont, Vern Cotter must have an X factor to be able to channel that passion into something constructive. It's hard to do."

Cotter says the French should never be underestimated physically.

"Their success is based on a long, tough domestic competition. Rugby's a man's game in France; very physical. They build hard, powerful athletes who know their way around a paddock when they can be playing from August to June. They know when to lift their game."

Discover more

Rugby World Cup

Ian Borthwick: France need more than one killer punch in their armoury

14 Oct 11:22 PM
Rugby World Cup

Dusautoir: A leader whose numbers stack up

14 Oct 11:35 PM
Opinion

Kerre Woodham: Gallant French relinquish blackout

15 Oct 04:30 PM
Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup: Wales v France

15 Oct 09:14 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rugby World Cup

New Zealand

'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks

12 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

New Zealand

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rugby World Cup

'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks

'Two bits of gold': How ballet and sumo transformed the All Blacks

12 Jul 05:00 PM

The All Blacks learned to reduce 'turf toe' from the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

'Never felt so alone':  Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

02 Jun 03:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP