He showed up following the match, exhausted but happy, crowned with a new prestigious success once morest the formidable Irish fighters. Cyril Baille (28, 33 caps) was rewarded for his big match with an important try, his second with the France team. The pillar ensures that the road is still long before a possible Grand Slam, while the next match of the Six Nations Tournament will take place in a fortnight on Scottish soil.
How did you experience this big fight in the heart of the fray?
CYRIL BAILLE. It was a very big game, we knew that. We really had a very, very big match up front. Personally, in melee, I was facing Furlong, the best right prop on the planet. I respect him a lot. I can tell you that our scrums, but also the balls carried, the rucks, all the phases of the fight were really very, very committed. But we had prepared accordingly.
We also saw you spring up flush with a group to score a try…
We tried to put in a maximum of commitment, to do simple things, even if it was a little more complicated in the second half. We, the forwards, we also try to offer ourselves in the game, to facilitate the work of the three-quarters, to be there to give solutions around This (Antoine Dupont). We manage to validate our strong moments, it is our strength at the moment.
After your replacement, we saw you fidgeting on the bench. How did you experience the end of the match?
The end of matches are complicated, especially on the edge of the field. We feel helpless, we want to help our friends. So we try to shout, even if they don’t hear us! But it is indicative of our state of mind, we work at 23. This end of the match, it was huge, because it was not done. It took a huge investment to the end, a big cohesion.
With this great victory, can we start talking regarding a Grand Slam for the XV of France?
Before talking regarding Grand Slam, the road is still long. We still have three very tough games to go, the first in two weeks in Scotland. We’ll figure it out at the end.