France coach Marc Lievremont said his iIl-prepared side's 21-16 victory over Wales in Paris on Friday "went against all logic".
Coach praises great performance by ill-prepared France
France coach Marc Lievremont said his iIl-prepared side's 21-16 victory over Wales in Paris on Friday "went against all logic".
With most of their players representing their clubs in the Top 14 last weekend the French had begun preparations less than a week before the match
But Les Bleus fought back from 13-3 down to dash Wales' Grand Slam hopes with a famous win and keep their Six Nations title claims alive with a dogged display at the Stade de France.
"I am extremely proud of the team," said Lievremont. "We proved we are hard-working and our fight was exceptional.
"It's always difficult to play as underdogs but we played very well.
"The victory went against all logic seeing our complicated preparation with just five days training - we can't do that every time.
"But the players proved they are capable of playing at this level of intensity. We raised the bar tonight. We need to string results like this together now."
Tactical control
"We were 13-3 down and it was complicated but the players dug in. Our defence was total and it was a great performance in terms of our tactical control.
"Sometimes we are affected by journalists saying we can only play wide but we showed we can play down the middle as well."
Wales boss Warren Gatland said flanker Thierry Dusautoir's converted try to bring France level was the crucial moment of the match and blamed too many mistakes on the turnaround.
"When we were 13-3 up, we needed to be smarter," said the New Zealander.
"We wasted a chance for a try, gave away a penalty for 13-6 and made four mistakes in row to concede the try.
"We were disappointed to go from 13-3 to 13-13 and that was where the game was lost. We have no excuses - the better team won.
"I was pretty happy with how it started but you have to give credit to France.
"Some of their collision stuff was good and they played a simple, very direct game. They deserved to win the game.
Tough
"They were more desperate than we were, were playing under pressure and that galvanises the team.
"But sometimes you need a kick up the backside to see how you respond."
Wales skipper Ryan Jones tried to remain upbeat, saying said that his men must put the defeat behind them and concentrate on securing a second successive Six Nations title.
"We have to get over this quickly," said the number eight. "It's not going to be pretty viewing and it will be tough for some individuals, me included.
"But that's Test match rugby, there's no hiding place. But we've still got a Triple Crown and a championship to play for.
"We were beaten by the better team but we will come back stronger from this."
