Rugby-Punch-drunk French wake up to World Cup hangover

Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Quarter Final - France v South Africa - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - October 15, 2023 France's Antoine Dupont with teammates look dejected after the match REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS (Reuters) - France went through the opening phase of the Rugby World Cup like party-goers at a summer disco, but after a weekend of electrifying rugby, the lights were switched back on abruptly and the country woke up on a greyish, crisp autumn morning.

Gone are Les Bleus, beaten 29-28 by South Africa, and gone are the Irish, with tears in their eyes as they stared into their almost-empty pints of beers after the quarter-final defeat by New Zealand.