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'The tournament is a disappointment. We are disappointed with this tournament'

France wing Damian Penaud
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Jacques Brunel admitted the Six Nations was a disappointment for France despite ending the campaign with a backs-to-the-wall win in Italy.

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Les Bleus conceded several opportunities to Italy in Rome on Saturday but preyed on the hosts’ missed chances to triumph 25-14, adding to last month’s win in Scotland.

Coach Brunel was not enthused by their display or their tournament as a whole, but he was able to identify some positives.

“The tournament is a disappointment. We are disappointed with this tournament,” he told Eurosport. “We have been too inconsistent.

“Like today, we have had no control at times and had great moments at others. We are not satisfied.”

Outlining the positives, Brunel added: “I’ll remember two things: this character that has been shown in difficult times and the emergence of young talents like Romain Ntamack, who showed qualities today, and also Demba Bamba.

“I will therefore remember the emergence of these young players and the work of the experienced players to mentor them.”

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The Rugby World Cup represents France’s next big assignment, but Brunel does not believe too much can be read into their Six Nations performances ahead of that competition.

“The World Cup is something completely different,” he said. “We will have a longer time to prepare for another competition format with four decisive games.

“We will have time to settle all those details that were not good during this tournament. But, whatever we have just experienced, a World Cup is a special moment.”

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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