feminine. New Zealand, Australia and Canada: A busy schedule for Les Bleues in the fall

Small revolution! No more international test matches with no stake other than instant score. Like it did for the men – by creating the Home Nations Series and then the Summer Nations Series – World Rugby has just created a new competition to select women.

Women XV (WXV) will take place each fall among the world’s top selections, divided into three tiers of six teams, with the idea of ​​pitting European nations against those in the Southern Hemisphere and the Americas.

Third in the recent Women’s World Cup and second in the 2023 VI Nations Championship, France is logically placed in the WXV1, along with England and Wales.

Next October and November, Les Bleues will travel to New Zealand (the host country) to face three other selections. The detailed schedule was revealed on Monday 14 August by World Rugby.

Three weeks, three games at the top

The France Women’s XV, currently in the Marcousis preparatory camp, will start with a match against the New Zealanders (world champions) on Saturday 21st October in Wellington (7pm local time, 8am Paris). Then Audrey Forlani and her partners will face Australia, on Saturday October 28th in Dunedin (7pm, 8am in Paris) and finally Canada, on Saturday November 4th in Auckland (4pm, 4am).

At the end of the competition, a ranking of 1 to 6 will be established; with the WXV Champion and relegation to WXV2 for the sixth (but not the first two editions).

Iséroise Maëlle Filopon as well as the daughters of the Amazons of FCG Emeline Gros, Manaé Feleu and Alexandra Chambon will have the chance to return to New Zealand, by attending her last World Cup (October-November 2022). Perhaps accompanied by Ambre Mwayembe (first line) and Léa Champon (third line), it is now incorporated into the extended range of Blue.