The former XV de France winger and fullback (59 caps) spoke to Le Figaro Antoine Dupont and his teammates’ 30-29 victory over the All Blacks on Saturday evening.
A thrilling victory
Cédric Heymans.- “Of course, a great win, especially against the All Blacks. It’s no mean feat and rarely happens in a career. What you have to remember is this team’s determination not to lose, not to give up. Where I think we won the match was in the last five minutes, when we were able to keep the Blacks at home and defend without getting into trouble.”
A complicated first half
“In the first half, we suffered a lot. Defensively, we didn’t go looking for them high enough. Individually, there were some fine tackles, but collectively we waited and suffered. For more than 20 minutes, or even 25 minutes, the Blacks were monstrously dominant, with almost 60% of possession. Then we managed to turn the tide right from the kick-off of the second half with this try which came very quickly from a carried ball and put us back in the game.”
Winning coaching
“The coaching brought freshness and alternation. We weren’t feeling serene after losing…