Szarzewski: We were playing against 16

DEFLATED French hooker Dimitri Szarzewski claimed his side were “playing 15 against 16” in their Rugby World Cup final defeat against New Zealand due to the passionate home support in Auckland.

The Eden Park crowd kept the All Blacks’ spirits up on Sunday as they repelled wave after wave of pressure from Les Bleus in the last 20 minutes in particular.

Heartbroken by the narrow 8-7 defeat — the same score by which France beat Wales by in the semi-final — Szarzewski admitted the New Zealand fans had played a big role.