Chabal: Our war with ABs’ haka

French rugby hard man Sebastien Chabal says the team’s confrontation of the All Blacks 2007 World Cup haka was a last-minute plan to evoke ‘‘war’’ – a ploy that helped set up New Zealand’s worst tournament result.

Chabal was at the heart of an emotional night in Cardiff that saw France front-foot the haka and walk away with a controversial 20-18 quarter-final win, giving the All Blacks their earliest exit at a World Cup.

‘‘The quarterfinal was something special because we beat the All Blacks. I still have goosebumps now,’’ Chabal, an ambassador from Frances’ bid to stage the 2023 World Cup, told the Sunday Times as he did the media rounds in Britain.

‘‘We had not prepared to react to the haka in that way but just before going out on to the pitch they told us to act like it was a war, to show them that we were ready for a good fight.’’

Chabal, nicknamed Caveman because of his long hair, heavy beard and confrontational approach, is still frustrated at France’s subsequent semifinal loss to England, a result that crushed their hopes of playing a final at home in Paris.

‘‘How can I say now that it was something huge? Because it was not the end of the competition. We didn’t win anything.’’

World Rugby will this week decide who hosts the 2023 tournament with France facing rival bids from Ireland and South Africa.

Chabal, hopes getting the World Cup rights could be a way of boosting rugby’s profile in France, particularly amongs young players, as he laments the strong foreign influence on the country’s Top 14 club championship.

‘‘When I watch the Top 14, I can’t believe there are so many foreign players,’’ Chabal said. ’’We have some good kids, but now rugby has a big economy and the clubs do not have time to lose. They want results right now, which is why they go to buy players from abroad. It is a huge problem for us.’’

Chabal believes French rugby needs to take a lesson from the All Blacks’ tactical approach.

‘‘I think as well that our league is strong but the rugby we practice is not right at the minute. Now, you have to play. You have to move the ball around. In France, for too long it was collisions, big impact. We had to be strong and defence was the key,’’ Chabal, who gives France little chance of beating the All Blacks in Paris next week, said.

‘‘You only have to watch the All Blacks. Why do they beat everybody? They do everything better than any other team but they move the ball around and have good skills. We forgot our skills.

‘‘Sometimes I go to junior rugby clubs and when I see kids play they just go ‘boom, boom, boom’ because they do what their role models are doing.

‘‘In the 1980s, rugby was thought to be a sport played by brutes. After that it was better, so mothers brought their kids to clubs.

‘‘Now, we have a big problem with concussion. That has scared parents. They don’t want their kids to play. That’s why we have to change the way we play. For that, we need this World Cup and we need for the Top 14 to change their mind-set.