KEY POINTS:
Graham Henry's claims of French gamesmanship have lit a fuse under the tourists, prompting counterpart Bernard Laporte to respond yesterday with a fierce, wide-ranging attack on the All Blacks coach.
A relatively mundane two-test series burst into life when long-serving French mentor Laporte accused Henry of being a hypocrite in his attitude towards players going to Europe.
And he claimed Henry was riding on the coat-tails of the excellent players he now coaches.
He also rejected the criticism this week from Henry and his assistant Steve Hansen that France had feigned injuries and deliberately collapsed scrums to slow down the pace of the first test in Auckland last Saturday, won 42-11 by the hosts.
Any bonhomie Laporte may have felt towards his New Zealand opposites disappeared when he heard the comments.
"I'd like to say to Graham Henry and Steve Hansen that they spoke a lot less when they were coaching Wales," Laporte said, with his comments translated into English.
"When we beat Wales 36-3 at Cardiff [in 2000], he [Henry] had a lot less to say before and after the match.
"It's like they're riding a wave here. I imagine it's got something to do with the good air in New Zealand.
"That's good, because it's [Joe] Rokocoko, [Dan] Carter, [Richie] McCaw, [Ali] Williams who are making sure of their successful coaching careers."
Henry was Welsh coach for four years from 1998 and was succeeded for a two-year stint by Hansen.
Laporte noted with some interest Henry's latest plea for the All Blacks' player drain to rich European clubs to end. He made a caustic comparison between those comments and Henry's own departure from New Zealand rugby for Wales.
"He is not very happy that people go to Europe. He criticises the players who go to Europe, he criticises the French and English who take them," he said.
"[But] I think the pupils do like the teacher.
"He was a very good teacher who took all the money when he went to Europe himself."
Leading French players Thomas Castaignede and Sebastien Chabal said on Wednesday Henry was out of line with his accusations of French negativity.
Veteran fullback Castaignede said it lacked respect and that there was no deliberate attempt to slow the game.
Laporte said Castaignede's feelings mirrored those of his teammates.
"There was no talk at all about stopping the game, they were hurt [injured]," he said.
"That really got me going, because it angered the players and so I told them, 'Don't worry, I'll sort out Henry'."
- NZPA
