Fiji, a match with a “special flavor” for Le Bleu
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Wangari (New Zealand) (AFP) – Les Bleu, who is second in his group with six points, plays on Saturday (08:15 in French) in Whangarei (New Zealand) against the Fijians, in third place by two lengths, a crucial match for the women’s World Cup quarter-finals.
And indeed, at the end of the group stage on Sunday, a ranking will be determined for the top eight teams, in which the posters for the quarter-finals will be built according to the following principle: 1st vs. 8th, 2nd vs. 7th, etc…
However, the French national team, victorious over South Africa (40-5) and then narrowly defeated by England (13-7) in their first two matches in Group C, are currently fourth in this standings.
If France does not want to face the best nations – England, New Zealand and Canada – in the quarter-finals, they must maintain this position and thus score the most points. What will pass against the Vijdi with a better victory is perfect.
That is why “this match has a special flavor,” he said Thursday at a press conference for Bleues coach Thomas Darracq, who asked his players to “maintain” the defensive intensity they showed against “Red Roses” (214 tackles), while increasing the level of their attack.
In order to allow the “girls’ quarters to heal and cure all the sores”, and to make up for the absence of scrum half Lor Sansus, who lost through injury to the end of the competition, and Roman Menager’s third streak, out on concussion protocol and unavailable, coach Les Bleues has made a nearly complete overhaul of starting XV, He made eleven changes.
“The match against England was very blowing, even painful for some players,” Darrac explained.
“The Big Leap”
And so the whole group was turned upside down, with the exception of the second line Céline Ferrer, while the third group Gael Hermit, the substitute against the “Red Roses”, reclaimed her role as leader.
Full-back Jesse Tremoliere (71 caps), the 2014 World Cup bronze medalist, will make his debut in the tournament, when opening Caroline Drouin moved up to 12th.
This is the first time France has faced the Fijians, a team “in the image” of its male counterpart, he said, “very surprising”, showing a lot of “creativity and initiative”, with “an organization that is not always very clear”. French coach.
“It’s a bit of a big leap,” he added, stressing that the French national team must be “very vigilant” against a team with undeniable sporting qualities and above all “very fun and in a good way”.
The Fijians, for whom this is their first World Cup, agree, “They try, they are not afraid of anything and it will be fun to play against them because they will make us see all the colors, both physically and in the game,” third grader Julie Anri.
“They play on instinct, feeling and improvisation and adapt each time to the team they are playing against,” says winger Melisande Lorenz. In short, “it’s a team that will give everything”: the French have been warned.
© 2022 AFP
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