Gregory Alldritt says France could have no complaints after their Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam bid came to an end thanks to a dramatic 23-20 defeat to England at Twickenham.
Les Bleus arrived in the English capital with an unbeaten record in the 2021 Championship, with their Round 3 clash against Scotland having been postponed following opening wins over Italy and Ireland.
After racing into a 17-13 lead courtesy of Antoine Dupont and Damian Penaud tries, France were pegged back in the second half and a rare Maro Itoje score in the 77th minute snatched victory for England.
But despite acknowledging the disappointment in the French camp, No.8 Alldritt conceded Eddie Jones’ men were the better side in the key areas of the pitch.
“We are disappointed, but not so much about losing the Grand Slam,” said 23-year-old Alldritt, who made 14 carries throughout an exhilarating contest. “That wasn’t something we were really thinking about.
“We knew it was going to be tough here [Twickenham], but we’ve been training well. What’s most disappointing is to lose in the last ten minutes.
“I think we played well but ultimately England were more realistic and better over the dead ball in their own 22.”
Despite defeat, France remain in the mix to lift the Guinness Six Nations trophy for the first time since 2010, with a crunch clash at home to current table-toppers Wales next in store.
Wayne Pivac’s charges sit nine points clear of second-placed France having played one game more, and Alldritt is clear that his team’s focus will quickly turn to rediscovering their winning form next time out.
He added: “We are playing lovely rugby and we are enjoying playing together on the pitch, we just need to keep going.
“We have a big, big game next week to prepare for, so we need to go back to work on Monday and get our heads down.”
