MARSEILLES - French rugby coach Bernard Laporte would never be accused of going over the top after his team's thrilling victory over the All Blacks in Marseilles.
Laporte admitted he believes the All Blacks are still the better rugby team, despite the 42-33 victory, which was France's fifth in their last eight tests against New Zealand.
Laporte acknowledged that his team played outstanding rugby at times in Marseilles.
But he said: "I still think the All Blacks is a better team than France now. They play well right through.
"We play okay for 20 minutes and then make mistakes.
"But the win was good for us."
Britain's Sunday Times referred to the French as a "wonderfully committed team [who] rekindled their best form of last year's World Cup to once again give the New Zealanders a lesson in playing from the heart.
"New Zealand ... did not have an answer to a performance that must rate as one of the best in French history."
The report said that the loss would round off an adequate season "back in what has become the land of the long white frown," where the public had been wringing its hands over two losses in the Tri-Nations series.
href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=159627&thesection=Story&thesubsection=&reportID=56528">Test schedule/scoreboard
French coach admits All Blacks are better
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