The essential has been done. This Saturday, the Blues started their Six Nations Tournament in the best possible way thanks to a success acquired at the expense of Ireland, at Le Mans (38-17). In search of a coronation which has eluded them since 2018, the players of David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot showed a serious face from the start of the game. Taking advantage of a penalty conceded by Ireland, Lina Queyroi found a touch in the opposing 10 meters. After a ball brilliantly carried by the tricolor pack, fly-half Pauline Bourdon rushed into the space left by her opponents to flatten. Lina Queyroi transformed in front of the poles (7-0, 3rd).
The offensive bonus for full confidence
After having invested the Irish camp for a few minutes, the Blues went through a slight slump marked by the reduction of Nicole Fowley’s score (7-3, 14th) and a lack of accuracy in attack. Despite a desire to play the game, France made several hand mistakes, like prop Annaëlle Deshaye (30th). However, frustration did not have time to prevail. A chistera from Pauline Bourdon offered Marine Ménager a one-on-one match. Number 11 took care of the rest. Lina Queyroi then finished the job by transforming (14-3, 33rd).
Thanks to a final penalty scored by their center (39th), France returned to the locker room with a comfortable 14-point lead. In the second half, the converted tries from Madoussou Fall (47th), Agathe Sochat (62nd) and Elisa Riffonneau (75th) added to the score a little more. The only downside: the passivity observed during the tests of Aoife Wafer (71st) and Aoife Dalton (38-17, 77th).
Next deadline for the French: next Saturday, March 30, for a trip to Edinburgh against Scotland. Before the clash against England at the end of April, the Tricolores will have several obstacles to overcome. Enough to avoid planning too much before a possible “final” of the Tournament.
