Argentina 41-13 France, Buenos Aires, June 26
Lievremont laments 'nightmare' result
Scrum.com
June 27, 2010
France skipper Thierry Dusautoir fends off the Argentina defence, Argentina v France, Stade Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 26, 2010
Thierry Dusautoir was despondent following another big defeat © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Thierry Dusautoir | Marc Lievremont
Tournaments/Tours: France tour
Teams: Argentina | France

France coach Marc Lievremont has slammed his side in the wake of a 'nightmare' loss to Argentina in Buenos Aires.

The Six Nations Grand Slam champions were humbled 41-13 by the Pumas on Saturday, two weeks after shipping 40 points in a hammering by South Africa in Cape Town. While their tour squad was stripped of a number of leading lights due to injury, Les Bleus ended their season on a remarkable low given their dominance of the northern hemisphere's top competition and a November win over the Springboks.

"It's desolation," Lievremont told AFP. "I don't know how we could sink so badly in these few weeks, to suffer two points records in South Africa and now here in Argentina. I expected tough matches, but these defeats are ridiculous. It was a nightmare."

Skipper Thierry Dusautoir was disconsolate at the final whistle, admitting that his side would struggle to recover from these setbacks as they look to mount a serious challenge on the Rugby World Cup crown in 2011.

"When you concede 40 points in two successive Tests, there isn't a lot to say," he said. "We can find 50 excuses, but today we came up against a team who were just much stronger than us.

"We were dominated in all areas and this was our level sadly. For a team that has ambitions to be world champions next year, it's going to be difficult to pick ourselves up from this."

The result will be another major fillip for Andy Robinson's Scotland, whose recent series win over the Pumas now takes on added significance. The Scots outplayed their hosts over two Tests, with fly-half Dan Parks starring with the boot in 24-16 and 13-9 triumphs.

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