Rugby World Cup 2015: Ex-coach captures passion of the French

We've got lots of opinions about French rugby. So what do the French think of the All Blacks and other rivals? Photo / Ross Setford

We've got lots of opinions about French rugby. So what do the French think of the All Blacks and other rivals?

Quite a bit, and with a romantic notion that we struggle to match when assessing our opponents.

That's if the former French flanker and coach Marc Lievremont is anything to go by, having translated his latest column in Le Monde newspaper. Somewhere in his words you even get to feel the spirit of French rugby, what drives them on to such heights at times.

Murray Mexted, the former All Black No8 and maverick commentator, might call it "psychic energy" in his inimitable way. There's a lot from Lievremont about collective spirit, with not a statistic in sight.

New Zealand may be the kings of rugby on the field, but many of us are guilty in failing to see the beauty in what our opponents do and unfortunately veer towards derision instead. Blame our isolation, perhaps.

Lievremont, the man who was allegedly only nominally in charge of France's 2011 World Cup squad at the end, described any victory over the All Blacks as "a little miracle". He also had qualified praise for Ireland, who crushed France in the final Pool D encounter.

There was no more controversial figure at the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, even though France overcame their demons to push the home side to within a goal of defeat in the Eden Park final. Coach Lievremont was said to be at war with his own players, he publicly criticised some, and a couple supposedly took over the coaching. How very French.

But he has serious All Black-beating credibility, having played in the great 1999 semifinal at Twickenham when an unstoppable second half scoring burst destroyed the All Blacks.

As the quarter-finals approach this time, Lievremont wrote: "I would never have thought the French XV would be smothered to this extent by the Irish.

"At halftime, I even thought we were on the way to winning this match, that resembled a boxing match. We were playing with equal intensity and two of their team leaders [Paul O'Connell and Jonny Sexton] were broken.

"These two injuries, instead of weakening them, strengthened them and they came back tighter, with crazy intensity.They completely sank us. The final score was enormous.

"We were extremely weak and awkward. We build our rugby when we are physically dominant .. . these Irish would not allow themselves to be bettered. They were superior in all areas of the game and demolished us bit by bit.

"Without being geniuses in the game, they found an enthusiasm we couldn't meet. Round after round, we lost the boxing match, finishing practically knocked out."

Lievremont said the current French side would have to "work on our pride and the ability of the group to rebel".

"The team and staff must be strong and clear-headed ... we were bad [against Ireland] but we have the chance to save ourselves by being magnificent, flamboyant. We can't let this go. My team [in 2011] lost to Tonga which was humiliating. We saw the ability of the men to rebel and they hugely dominated the English in the quarter-finals. New Zealand is much stronger, but the mountain isn't unconquerable. Beating the All Blacks is always a small miracle. But we've done it twice and we can beat the All Blacks a third time in the World Cup."

Another French newspaper headline put it thus: The All Blacks are unbeatable? Not so sure.