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Olympic gold medallists France unveiled at Champions Park in Paris
By Josh Raisey
France fans packed out the Champions Park on Monday to welcome their victorious Olympic rugby sevens side following their win over Fiji on Saturday.
The stands were full at Trocadéro Gardens at the foot of the Eiffel Tower as the players were unveiled with their gold medals around their necks.
The squad paraded up the walkway chanting 'allez les bleus' and 'we are champions' together with the crowd.
An Antoine Dupont-inspired France team beat the then-reigning champions Fiji 28-7 on Saturday in front of a rapturous Stade de France, and the celebrations continued into Monday.
The win was France's first gold medal of the Olympics this year.
Reflecting on the year France have had, which saw them win the Los Angeles SVNS and the HSBC SVNS Series Grand Final as well, head coach Jerome Daret said (translated by Google): "This is unheard of. For rugby sevens, it’s a superb showcase. The atmosphere was crazy. It's incredible and super powerful.
"We have placed rugby sevens on the map of French rugby and on the map of Olympic sport in the best possible way.
"We went looking for gold in Los Angeles, we found the vein and we exploited it in Madrid with the title of world champion and now that of Olympic champion. It’s awesome and powerful!
"I have difficulty understanding everything that has happened since the final whistle. The players were incredible. The staff also who created a crazy journey, relying on very high-quality consultants.
"It’s a whole package to perform and everything has been beneficial. It's a war machine."
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Latest Comments
Funny that I read this after watching last night's game where Matera packed down at openside every signle time. Jaguares also used to play with OS/BS flankers when he was with them. Of course, if he's at 8 or not involved, Pumas could do it the French way and put, let's say, Kremer on the right and Golzalez on the left. You're correct about Matera's tenure at Crusaders where he was mainly used at blindside but also at #8 on occasion as far as I remember. He has the frame and skillset to play whichever back row position he's put at, much like Ardie or Jack Willis or Pocock.
Go to commentsDoesn't sound like FJ is doing anything of the sort to be fair. When your head coach says he's not spoken to him but claims he's doing work in the background... That work must be really productive if the coaches aren't bothering to look at it.
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