The trophy is coming back to France so I am very happy about that. The Irish win their Triple Crown so it's a good day for rugby.

I'll take it like an adult. I made a mistake and I accept it.

I left because I did not want to take any risks but nothing is serious.

At the beginning of the tournament we didn't think we would win the trophy. But we worked a lot but we are bringing the trophy to France and I am very proud of my players.

There is not always a 'happy end' a la Hollywood.

We will have to smother them for the entire match. They put a lot of width into their game. We will have to manage two halves of what we did last year at the Stade de France for one half.

We stayed confident because we have a lot of confidence in this team. So we waited and we know it will be good for us, but it was very hard today. We are very, very happy.

That adds up to nearly 120 weeks, and two-and-ahalf years spent in squad sessions preparing for matches.

Physically, the All Blacks were stronger and faster. They gave us a lesson. We did what we could but we know now that the road to the 2007 World is going to be very long.

I did something wrong, I was punished and I paid for it. Now I want to think about something else and not talk about it anymore. During all that time I did what I can't do when I have a match at the weekend - that is to say a lot of physical preparation. I have now played three top level matches which gave me a good indication of my form.