Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/1726777/france-no-longer-great-side-admits-philippe-saint-andre Rugby
France no longer a great side, admits Philippe Saint-Andre
France's Mathieu Bastareaud evades a tackle by Scott Baldwin of Wales. Photo: AFP
France coach Philippe Saint-Andre admitted that Les Bleus were “not a great team” after their 20-13 home defeat by Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.
France looked convincing in November as they beat Australia at the Stade de France before narrowly losing to Argentina but they were short of ideas against the Welsh.
France’s fourth defeat in a row against Wales came after a hard-fought win over Scotland and a loss to champions Ireland.
“I’m not going to say we are a great team,” Saint-Andre told a news conference.
“Against Scotland we dominated but we only won by a small margin [15-8]. Against Ireland we dominated the last half hour but we failed to score. We lacked discipline just like today.”
France had their chances but fly-half Camille Lopez missed two routine penalties as Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny nailed five penalties from as many attempts.
“They were clinical,” said Saint-Andre, who rued his team’s lack of discipline.
“We gave away incredibly silly penalties,” he said, adding that “some players are still not physically capable of playing 80 minutes”.
“It’s not enough, but we are going to continue to go forward,” said captain Thierry Dusautoir. 
With this year’s World Cup looming, France need a lot of preparation, which Saint-Andre believes the squad will get.
Dejected France players trudge off the field after the defeat. Photo: AP
“During the Six Nations, players go back to their clubs. Before the World Cup, we’ll have two months and a half to get ready,” Saint-Andre said.
“In 2011, we were not a good team but things can change fast,” Dusautoir said.
France lost two games in the 2011 Six Nations before going on to reach the World Cup final.