Jacques Brunel described the disappointment his players felt as they succumbed to a last-minute 13-15 defeat against Ireland in the NatWest 6 Nations in Paris.
Johnny Sexton’s 45-metre drop goal secured the victory for Ireland and came as a huge blow to France, who thought they could hold on for the win.
There were 74,000 spectators in the Stade de France hoping to celebrate France’s first win of the Jacques Brunel era until Sexton’s intervention.
Brunel said: “It’s a big disappointment, the ending is horrible given how much energy we put in.
“It’s cruel. What can we feel other than frustration? It was a tight game with a score that went against us.
“We gave away too many penalties but we were able to fight back. We showed a lot of sacrifice and solidarity.
“The team are affected by the result but should be proud. We matched them and could have won.”
Heroic in defence, with 94 percent tackle success, captain Guilhem Guirado and his teammates can take heart from the formidable spirit they showed throughout the game.
Guirado said: “The indiscipline cost us. But with the few chances we had, we did put them under pressure.
“We hung in there and showed solidarity to come back. It’s all the more frustrating to have lost the game.”
For their next NatWest 6 Nations game, France travel to BT Murrayfield next Sunday to take on Scotland.
