French hangover, All Blacks' complacency fear: how world reacted to stunning World Cup quarter-finals

Hosts in tears at World Cup exit, as All Blacks embrace the pressure of new expectation - they wouldn't want it any  other way, says coach Jason Ryan

France's Antoine Dupont leaves the pitch affter their World Cup quarterfinal loss

AS Ireland suffered on Sunday, hosts France woke up on Monday to the sobering realisation that their race was run, and that they were no longer guests at their own World Cup party.

The sports daily L'Equipe carried a poster picture of their talisman, Antoine Dupont, with the headline, ‘A Pleurer’ (To Cry) as the nation came to terms with the 29-28 loss to world champions South Africa on Sunday at the Stade de France.

“The return of Antoine Dupont, flamboyant again, was not enough. The Blues lost by one point and will not win their World Cup. It is the Springboks who will face the English, winners of the Fijians, in the semi-finals,” said L’Equipe.

L'Equipe cover on Monday.

Le Parisien highlighted that France have now lost three of their last four quarter-finals by a single point – the exception being New Zealand’s 62-13 win in 2015 – while also focusing on Cheslin Kolbe’s crucial charge-down of a Thomas Ramos conversion which denied France two points in a game they lost by one.

It said the nation had woken up “with a hangover”.

La Dauphine described France’s defeat as cruel citing the need for “a little more precision” and “a hint of additional mastery”.

Meanwhile, New Zealand media have moved on from the drama of their Ireland win on Saturday to another huge obstacle in their attempt to regaimn the Webb Ellis Trophy - complacency.

New Zealand Herald writer Liam Napier wrote Monday: "To reach their final frontier the All Blacks must first overcome sport’s greatest mental hurdle – descending from the great euphoric height of elite success to rise again for the next immediate summit."

He said that coming down from the emotional high of defeating the world's top-ranked side to a semi-final everyone believes they will canter through is no gimme.

"Reaching the same level they achieved for Ireland is a huge ask," said Napier. "Mentally and emotionally in any high performance sporting context, it is near impossible. History tells us so.

"The weak nature of the opposite side of the World Cup draw pushes the notion the All Blacks should stroll into the final from here. Retiring Irish captain Johnny Sexton suggested as much when he said of the All Blacks: “They’ve got Argentina in the semis so likely in the final and then anything can happen.”

Expectations are building on the All Blacks after their sensational 28-24 victory and the three-times champions would have it no other way.

"That's what the jersey's about, and that's what it demands of us every week, and you can't sugar-coat anything, and you get on with it," forwards coach Jason Ryan told reporters on Monday.

"You're just constantly giving and trying to be better yourself. You know, the expectations are extremely high, but you wouldn't want it any other way, really.

"I think that the pressure side of it, this is when it just gets that little bit higher, but that's a privilege. I guess the most successful people in the world have got privilege in their lives. The more pressure, the better. So that's where we want to be this week, and we're looking forward to tackling it head on."

Argentina await in the semi-final, having ousted Wales, and most observers consider the Pumas a long shot to reach their first final.

The All Blacks, though, are taking nothing for granted, mindful that Argentina beat them in New Zealand for the first time in a Rugby Championship clash last year in Christchurch.

"Yep, it has actually," Ryan said when asked if that Christchurch shock had come into the team's thinking. "To be fair, you've got to be honest around that and it'll be probably a little bit talked around... when we start previewing a little bit. But like I said, we're a different team. I guess they are a different team. We learned a lot in that game as well... they put a lot into their D (defence) in there to slow our ball down. So we'll make sure that we readdress that and not assume anything."

Reuters