Who would dare to dredge up the controversies surrounding Bernard Laporte since Les Bleus feat in Cardiff? But criticism on his coaching or his personality still goes on… The latest example is a comment posted yesterday on the French side of the blog: “France go without their best lock Lionel Nallet…and young scrumhalf Lionel Beauxis didn’t send many balls into the stands. All Black Dan Carter got his first cap at 19, but not in a World Cup. Why didn’t Laporte use him more before the tournament?”

His strategic choices have also drawn admiration. From Paris, Florent marvels at coaching abilities that “took his former club, the Stade Français, to its current level. He pulled them from a second division side to a top French team in only four years.”

In the south west of France, Laporte doesn’t only have fans. From Agen, Matthieu estimates “he should have quit his position after the 2003 semi-final flop, as any other coach would have done. Now, between ham commercials and jersey’s sold at 150 euros a pop on his Website, he seems more like a business man than a coach.”

Florent instead appreciates “the fact he doesn’t care about what people will say. If he had signed for an ad about an energy drink, nobody would have reacted. Cooked meats pay better. So why give up 100,000 euros for the same results, being on TV for a product you don’t necessarily consume?”

What about his future position in the French government? If “the fact he’s a casino shareholder and part of the government” disturbs Matthieu, Florent thinks the position is well deserved: “How could World Cup elimination erase a successful ten-year career?”