England-France: the Blue Faced with their bane in the “final” of the Six Nations Tournament
They are aware of not arriving in the favorite costume. “Not many people see us winning”recognizes the scrum half Pauline Bourdon Sansus. Saturday April 26 at 5:45 p.m. (Paris time), players from the French Rugby Women’s team move to Twickenham to face the English, holding the English. And the equation is simple: the winning team of this “final” will be crowned in the Six Nations tournament.
In the French group, few players have already tasted victory against the Red Roses. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (29 and 65 selections) is one of them. On March 10, 2018, the scrum half of the Toulouse stadium was part of the XV of France having narrowly defeated England in Grenoble (18-17), before validating its Grand Slam a week later. Since that day, the English have not lost a match in the tournament. “It’s a very clinical team”described the player on Wednesday at a press conference, “Their game is very schematized” et “They have incredible individuals”.
Undeelined in the tournament-like their adversaries-, the French people have been in the running to win their first title since 2018. But the players of the Binomial of Gaëlle Mignot-David Ortiz selectors did not always convince: Saturday April 19, in Parma, they painfully defeated the Italians (34-21) after a first suffering period. “If we put a half time to enter the match against the English, it will be complicated for us and it may happen a bit like two years ago”warned Pauline Bourdon Sansus. For their first outing on the lawn of Twickenham-in front of 58,000 spectators-, the Blue had taken the water in the first period (0-33), before rebiffing, but to bow in fine (33-38).
This Saturday, the Bleues will have to “Try to start this match hard, [car] The English are not used to being carried out and being a little jostled ”anticipates the melee half. Team favoring the game but sometimes undermined in the fight, the XV of France will have to deal with without three of its weapons, the third-Lignes Romanesses Ménager and Séraphine Okemba and the three-quarters Montserrat Amédée being forfeited for this meeting which serves as a “final” of the tournament.
“The slightest error is paid cash”
And the opponent promises to be formidable. Already counting 13 titles in the Six Nations Tournament in its current format, since 2007, the English have been following high-flight performance since their short defeat (34-31) in the final of the last World Cup in 2022, facing New Zealand hosts-France had finished in third place. “We know that England is the number 1 nationsummed up the Pillar Assia Khalfaoui in Midi-Olympic. By winning at home, we would mark the spirits. The general public would say that we are ready, that we have bounded and that we will arrive stronger than ever for the World Cup ”, which will take place across the Channel from August 22 to September 27.
Bane of the Blue, the Red Roses also await this shock impatiently. “It’s a real test, a spectacular match for spectators, but brutal for the players, Describes the former English international Shaunagh Brown, on the Six Nations website. Against France, each action counts, and the slightest error-in front, stupidly conceded penalty, touch not found-is paid cash. »»
In search of certainties in the face of their biggest continental rivals, while audiences take off in France (in stadiums and television) for female rugby, the partners of the Marine Marine Capitaines and Manae Feleu aspire to deliver a reference match. “This is the tournament final. So this match will be a lot watched, very publicized, it is up to us to show beautiful game, to show our strengths to be followed throughout the World Cup ”concludes the first-line Yllana Brosseau.
