Les Bleues are in the last four. The women’s XV of France qualified for the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, Saturday, October 29, thanks to its clear victory against Italy (39-3), in Whangarei, New Zealand. Next Saturday at Eden Park in Auckland, Les Bleues will be opposed in the semi-finals to the reigning world champions, the New Zealanders, who easily dismissed the Welsh, 55 to 3, also on Saturday morning.
Gaëlle Hermet’s teammates validated their ticket thanks to a much more successful second period than the first. As often between these two formations, the match took place in a tense atmosphere, given the stakes, each gauging the other. Both French and Italian got stuck in a false rhythm, for a meeting that took time to go from a winded and laborious tone to another more playful and twirling.
The first try of the match, however, arrived in the third minute, following a magnificent raise from Emilie Boulard, part of her 22 meters to sneak into the Italian defense, then offer the test to Joanna Grisez between the posts. But the rest of the first period was not at the same level, the French women often confusing speed and haste. Too often penalized and losing too many balls, they failed to materialize their territorial domination. At halftime, the score was 10-3.
“From the start of this match, we felt that we had the upper hand, possession, we were often at home, dominant. But for all that, we did not materialize “, explains Caroline Drouin, the opening half of the Blue.
New Zealand, a mountain
Upon returning from the locker room, the French women were denied three tries. It took almost the hour of play for the French to take shelter, after a penalty try awarded by the referee of the game. Les Bleues then accelerated to finally win by a wide margin (39-3). The winger Joanna Grisez, recent bronze medalist at the World Rugby Sevensnotably scored three tries.
🇬🇧 FRANCE 39 – 3 ITALY 🇮🇹 🏉 And the hat-trick for Joanna Grisez! Magnificent test of the Blue, we let you admire… https://t.co/VkN2oB98Ox
This triple is the consequence of“great teamwork” comments the player. “We managed to free ourselves and it materialized like this, she continues. There have been a lot of changes [dans l’équipe de France], we had to adapt, we had to get back on track. »
“The score clearly reflects this desire to let go, considers Caroline Drouin. We really wanted to rely on our big defense. Now all that’s left to do is enjoy. The last four of a World Cup is only happiness. »
“One of the first objectives was to play in this last four, it’s done”, reacted Thomas Darracqthe French coach, after the match. “We will work for next weekend, it will be another game, but the first objective has really been achieved. »
This “another game”, mentioned by the boss of the Blue when he did not yet know the name of their opponents, will look like a mountain. Beating the defending champions in the semi-finals of the World Cup in front of their home crowd would be the greatest feat in the history of the French women’s rugby team. See you on Saturday, November 5, in Auckland.