‘They stole our World Cup’ – France star wants revenge against ‘complete’ Springboks
Maxime Lucu at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and an inset of Damian de Allende.
Scrum-half Maxime Lucu is relishing the opportunity to get stuck into the Springboks on Saturday after South Africa ‘stole’ the Rugby World Cup from France.
This Saturday, France and South Africa collide at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for the first time since the latter clinched a 28-29 victory, knocking the former out of the 2023 World Cup in an enthralling quarter-final.
Springboks assistant coach Felix Jones was unsure whether Les Bleus would see this as an opportunity to avenge the result two years
ago, stating: “I don’t know. I’m not sure how they are talking about it in their camp.
“That said, it would be hard to deny that they would have some regrets from that game that they would like to make right.”
France want revenge
Lucu has confirmed that France are absolutely out to right the wrongs of that night in Saint-Denis, admitting that the result has ‘stuck’ with the team.
While France have reached the World Cup final on three occasions previously, they have fallen short every time and armed with a golden generational squad in a home tournament, 2023 was seen as the perfect opportunity to finally get their hands on the William Webb Ellis Cup.
But they were denied by the 2019 champions, who went on to defend their title.
“It was a massive defeat for us (the World Cup quarter-final in 2023)”, Lucu told EPCR rugby.
“For us, the French people, it’s really stuck with us. It was our World Cup and they came and stole it off us. It was such a great game”.
The scrum-half, who is set to fill Antoine Dupont’s void in the starting line-up, did have some kind words for Rassie Erasmus’ charges.
Lucu says that they are unfairly dubbed as brutes, as there is much more to their game than just pure power and aggression.
“They’re much more than just brutes,” he said.
“It’s true they’re unbelievably strong, but they’ve also got a lot of quick and nimble youngsters coming through.
“There’s talent everywhere; they’re a complete side.”
The Bordeaux playmaker added: “We can’t wait to take them on. They’re back-to-back world champions. Everything’s set up perfectly for a great game.”
Damian de Allende: ‘People forget what France did to host the World Cup’
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Damian de Allende does not feel sorry
During the 2023 World Cup, many fans had France as their second team, wanting the golden generation to realise their potential and clinch the title.
In fact, even Springbok captain Siya Kolisi admitted that he felt bad for the French players and fans after they were dumped out of the tournament.
But centre Damian de Allende did not have the same sympathy as his skipper, expressing as much in a Rugby Pass TV interview.
“I didn’t feel sorry for them,” he said last year.
“I don’t feel sorry for them because of the way the World Cup bid went and how it was taken away from us as South Africa.
“For me, it was just a bit more personal – for all of us – once we understood what actually happened [with the bidding process] and Rassie explained what actually happened – it gave us a bit of an edge for the quarter-final.
“We haven’t hosted a World Cup since 1995, and I don’t know when we will host another World Cup in South Africa, but 2023 was probably our best chance, and it felt like it was in our hands and then just got taken away from us.
“Rassie brought it up, and it’s hard because sometimes you read things [in the press], and it’s always made out to be that we are the bad guys, but people forget what France did to host the World Cup again.
“So yeah, I don’t feel sorry for them, it’s sport. It’s tough losing by one point, especially in a quarter-final at home, but it is what it is.”
READ MORE: Springboks: Rassie Erasmus’ five biggest selection headaches for France grudge match
