Victorious 57-10 from South Africa Sunday, September 7 in Northampton (England), without ever trembling, for their last match of group D, the French will play their quarter-final in a week against Ireland, avoiding in passing the Black Ferns Ferns, double reigning world champions.
After their three successes against Italy (24-0), Brazil (84-5) and therefore the Boks Women, the Bleues, 4th in the world, ensured a quarter-final a priori affordable against Irish, 5th in the world, defeated 40-0 by New Zealand in their “final” of group C at the start of the afternoon in Brighton.
On the lawn of the saints of Northampton, the players of Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz were warned at the start of the New Zealand victory. It was therefore imperative victory: to finish at the top of the group, the objective displayed by the Bleues since the start of the competition, and avoid the formidable Black Ferns in a week.
Mission accomplished therefore, much more easily than expected, facing overpowered boks, like their springboks counterparts, but lacking in mobility and far too clumsy.
The Blue had announced the color: put speed, find the intervals, and make their opponents run as much as possible. And the work was done in the 9th minute with the back Émilie Boulard, at the end of the wing after a beautiful breakthrough of Gaby Vernier in the center.
The dream of a first final
And the mass already seemed to be said at half-time (24-3 for the Bleues), after three new tests by Vernier (20th), after yet another scrum under the blue pack, of the number 8 Charlotte Escudero (26th), on a departure after melee, then the Talonneuse Agathe Gérin (37th), after a touch to 5 m played quickly by Boulard.
And if there was still a meager hope for the Boks Women, it was turned off as soon as the game resumes with Boulard’s second try (44th), before the Bleues ended a match with the appearance of training with four new trials signed Grisez (51st and 75th), the Pilière Annaëlle Deshaye (61st), on a lot of work in the axis of the pack, then Alexandra Chambon (75th) Who had just replaced Pauline Bourdon-Sansus, elected player of the match.
Dominated in front of the start of the game from the start, the South Africans vaguely attempted to revolt via their overpowered three-quarter Center Chuis Qawe. But she had barely succeeded in a beautiful breakthrough in the heart of the French defense that she was excluded (red card 20 minutes) in the 25th minute for a head against head against Marine Household, the co-captain of the Blue, finally forced to go out at halftime.
“The girls had put themselves in hunter mode”welcomed their co-co-co-coach David Ortiz on Sunday evening, notably referring to the performance of the defense and the Blue Pack, his South African counterpart Swys de Bruin believing that the French team released Sunday “One of the biggest performances since the start of this World Cup”.
“We wanted to send a big message on this, to our defense. I think that’s what we have shown, I am very proud of the team ”commented the co-captain Manae Feleu.
Undeeped in five meetings against the South African, including a large 40-5 victory at the Auckland Eden Park during their last duel, at the 2021 World Cup (Editor’s note: played in 2022, Covid obliges), the Blue were favorite, against a team certainly spent in 10th place in the world but which had never hitherto reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup.
And they justified their rank, now living their dream of a first final in the World Cup after playing, and lost, eight semi-finals in the previous nine editions. But the hope of a first title is still distant, with in perspective, after Ireland, a shock against English ultra-favored, the world n ° 1, undefeated since thirty meetings and their defeat in the final of the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand.
