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Emotional Galthié overwhelmed after record France win

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France coach Fabien Galthié was brought to tears after watching his charges secure a record victory over England at Twickenham.

France coach Fabien Galthié was brought to tears after watching his charges secure a record victory over England at Twickenham.

After two wins from their first three matches, and some question marks over their form, Les Bleus produced one of the greatest performances in Guinness Six Nations history as they romped to a 53-10 win.

It was the biggest home defeat in England’s history, as well as being France’s first Championship success at Twickenham since 2005.

That day, Dimitri Yachvili kicked all 18 points in a one-point success. Here, France ran in seven tries in a scintillating display of attacking rugby, with Galthié overwhelmed by emotion at the achievement.

Asked if he realised the magnitude of what his team had achieved, Galthié replied: “Yes, I realise. I’ve been coming to Twickenham since I was 20, so I realise. It’s a very moving moment.

“We played well, just as we wanted. We wanted to do that. We didn’t know how but we wanted to do that.

“This venue, this context, it’s not luck. We have been working with these players for four years. There is a lot of confidence. At the start of the tournament, we weren’t happy but we were in the truth of it. The players wanted to produce THE match, they produced THE match.”

Thomas Ramos got the ball rolling in the second minute, finishing off a stunning counter-attacking try as part of a personal haul of 23 points.

He was named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match for his efforts, but in truth, any number of his teammates could have also received the accolade, including Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud, who scored two tries apiece.

Galthié, meanwhile, was quick to convey his sympathy for England, who were given a reminder of the size of the task facing Steve Borthwick, four matches into his reign.

Galthié added: “It’s tough for England. I feel for them, I want to pay tribute to them. When you realise the importance of English rugby in this country, to have to go through that here. This team is going through a tough time.”