A heavy rating and confidence gained. THE XV of France feminine opened the Six Nations Tournament by an enormous victory by correcting Italy 40 to 7 and 6 tries to 1, this Saturday on the Stade des Alpes in Grenoble, after a messy first half. With their new coach François Ratier, the Blues lastly received fairly simply after returning to the locker room, thanks particularly to the ability of their pack.
However they stammered for a very long time rugbysix months after their disappointing fourth place during the 2025 World Cup in England. “We wish to have the ability to play 80 minutes and torture them in entrance,” introduced the coach of the Bleues, ex-manager of the Stade Bordeaux however above all ex-coach of the Canadians, whom he led to the ultimate of the 2014 World Cup in France.
The profitable guess of the neo-Bleues
However this Saturday, its gamers forgot to enter the match for a very long time, first letting the Nazionale monopolize the ball for ten minutes, earlier than growing the variety of approximations till half-time. Passes into house, dives into groupings, extra haste: the Blues wasted quite a few alternatives, notably with this strive by Joanna Grisez canceled on the half-hour mark or this stupidly wasted penalty (thirty fifth) after the dislocation of the Blue maul every time.
Successor to the duo Gaëlle Mignot – David Ortiz, Ratier had carried out a serious upheaval inside the French ladies’s XV, with three gamers with zero picks at kick-off and 6 in whole on the match sheet. And the guess was profitable, with the one strive of the primary interval signed by the Catalan winger of Clermont Anaïs Grando (twenty first), on a decisive move from the Toulouse fullback Pauline Barrat, who additionally confirmed off the blue jersey, on the finish of a wonderfully performed penalty this time.
Third novice within the beginning XV, Clermont hooker Mathilde Lazarko significantly stood out for her defensive exercise, with already 14 tackles within the first thirty minutes.
A pageant of essays the final thirty minutes
Lengthy muddled offensively, as evidenced by this motion the place Grando fully forgot his captain Manae Feleu inside (52nd), the Blues, however, left no house for the Italian attackers. If the offensive combos stay to be labored on, the “Vauban” defensive system concocted by Ratier, in homage to the navy architect of Louis XIV, has been assimilated!
After the second blue take a look at, signed by the opener Carla Arbez (forty fourth), it was paradoxically a accident, the damage exit of Joanna Grisez (forty seventh), which unlocked the French XV, with first this 100% pillars take a look at, initiated by a framing-overflow from Assia Khalfaoui and concluded by Yllana Brosseau (54th), who had simply changed Ambre Mwayembe. Then the bonus strive, a brand new ahead strive, with Khalfaoui on the conclusion this time, after a penalty (sixtieth).
Earlier than Toulouse winger Léa Murie (seventieth) then her associate Barrat (seventy fifth) lastly gave the rating a magnitude not essentially deserved given the match. The Blues will face the Welsh in every week on the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, then host the Irish in Clermont-Ferrand on April 25.
