'That’s the truth': The surprising Fabien Galthie take on France's Murrayfield collapse

France’s Grand Slam dream may have gone up in puff of Edinburgh cannon smoke but Fabien Galthie’s reaction afterwards was strikingly measured.

Les Bleus were swept aside 50-40 by Scotland in a 13-try thriller at Murrayfield, at one stage trailing 47-14 before rallying late to salvage a bonus point that could yet prove decisive in the title race.

Given the circumstances, a furious or defensive response might have been expected from the infamously ebullient Frenchman. Instead, the France head coach was unusually magnanimous, openly acknowledging Scotland’s superiority on the day.

If anything he was rather phlegmatic in face of what some might have branded a disaster.

“We are disappointed because we lost,” said Galthie. “We are disappointed because we had the ambition to win here. But on the scenario of the match, the [Scottish] victory is coherent and logical. It is normal for the Scots to win this match. They played a great match. They took us in the basics of the rugby.”

Galthie was particularly impressed by the midfield pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, conceding that France struggled to stem the tide once the flood gates opened.

“They did very well. They did very well with their pair of 12-13, their animation. It was a chain of events. We took penalties, then we took points, then we took yellow cards, then we took tests again. At the end of the day, it’s hard to stop haemorrhaging. It’s true that we couldn’t find a solution early enough.”

Galthie also laboured the point that France remain firmly in the driving seat heading into the final round.

“We’ll have the time. We have a week. In the heat of the moment, we’re thinking about the next step. But it’s clear that we’re still first. We have the possibility to win the competition. That’s the truth.”

France’s late rally ensured they left Edinburgh with a crucial attacking bonus point.

It wasn’t lost on Galthie.

“The players went to get it. We had to get the offensive bonus. It was going to score four tries. When the gap was big, we were at two tries. The players went to get six tries. We went from two to six tries. Especially with the very good return of the finishers. They gave energy to the team. They allowed the team to score four tries.

“We are disappointed. We wanted to do much better. We were very ambitious. We understand the disappointment of our fans. We share it. But we’re in a race to win the competition. We have a game in Paris. Saturday night at the Stade de France. It’s our daily life. We know we have to go through this.”