France captain Raphael Ibanez fired a warning across the bows of his teammates on Wednesday saying some of them had been thinking too much of booking their place in the squad for this year's World Cup instead of focusing on playing England last weekend.
As a result, France saw their hopes of winning the Six Nations Grand Slam crash as England put up a spirited display to stun them 26-18 at Twickenham.
However Ibanez, who has assumed the captaincy for the Six Nations because Fabien Pelous has been injured, laid into the players and said that those who were thinking too much about whether they would be in the 30-man squad for September's global showpiece could actually end up losing out.
"Did every player perform his duties?" pondered the 34-year-old hooker.
"For the guy who thought too much about the World Cup when running onto the pitch at Twickenham and then underperformed, it is the best way to miss out on the World Cup," Ibanez said.
"The 22 who were in the match day squad have an extra responsibility compared to the 18 who sat it out [coach Bernard Laporte selected a 40 man squad for the tournament and is expected to announce the World Cup 30 on Aug. 3]," he said. "If you don't make the most of your opportunity when you are given it that shows a lack of respect for those who are waiting their turn."
"Some of the players were thinking too much about being in the squad, but me I think it is better to have gone and played well against England than to watch the matches on television," added Ibanez, who captained France to the 1999 World Cup final where they lost to Australia.
Ibanez admitted that he had not slept very well since the England defeat but was looking for a good reaction from the team when they play Scotland in the final match of the tournament tomorrow.
France still head the table but only on points difference (+42) from Triple Crown winners Ireland (+38) and England (+13) -- the latter two travel to Italy and wooden spoon favorites Wales respectively.
"I hope this defeat will be at the back of our minds," said Ibanez, who plays his club rugby for English giants Wasps.
"We are in need of a team that is bursting at the seams to bounce back. Scotland know the highs and the lows of international rugby but have had their successes against France," he said.
France surprisingly lost 20-16 to Scotland last year -- their one defeat as they won the title.
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