France coach Marc Lievremont insists he has no plans to quit his role in the wake of his side¿s 59-16 thrashing by Australia.
France boss will not resign after Australia humiliation
France coach Marc Lievremont insists he has no plans to quit his role in the wake of his side's 59-16 thrashing by Australia on Saturday.
The French press have slammed Lievremont and his players after the Wallabies ran riot in the second half at the Stade de France, piling up 46 points after the scores were level at the break.
And questions over the 42-year-old's position have now been raised just eight months after he led France to their first Six Nations Grand Slam in six years.
But although Lievremont took the blame for the dire performance, he was quick to state that he still believes he can turn his side's fortunes around.
"I take full responsibility for this failure but I repeat, I am hungry to carry on," he said.
"I am not sure that Pierre, Paul or Jacques could do better, even if they did it differently.
Strategy
"I'm still convinced that we are going about things the right way in terms of management, managing the squad, and strategy."
He added: "In my mind, we have a competent staff. There will always be question marks about these aspects, even when things are going well."
Emile Ntamack and Didier Retiere, France backs and forwards coaches respectively, have also come in for heavy criticism after the defeat.
It was Ntamack who, along with Lievremont, opted to play Damien Traille at fly-half against Australia - a decision that backfired as the Biarritz centre was regularly exposed.
"I think first of all that everyone is concerned," he said of the French capitulation.
"But when the players are really struggling, there's always talk of resignation. That term annoys me because I didn't see the players giving up, they were simply overwhelmed all over the park.
"As regards my future I think it is best to take a few days to reflect, to go and see the players and to talk about things."
