Why this long break for the Blues?

Paul Roger, Media365: Published on Monday, September 25, 2023 at 3:44 p.m.

Having largely dominated Namibia, France would not play again until 15 days later, against Italy. But why such a long break in this World Cup?

He got three out of three. After New Zealand opened the World Cup at home (27-13), then Uruguay (27-12), the Blues crushed Namibia on Thursday (96-0), recording the biggest victory in their story. But they lost their mentor, Antoine Dupont, the victim of a fractured zygomatic maxilla and very uncertain for the rest of the competition, even if he successfully undergoes surgery and will be considered for a return to the quarter-finals.

Qualify even in case of defeat?

But before a potential quarter-final, which should initially see Fabien Galthier’s men take on defending champions South Africa, they will play one final group stage match against Italy. The Blues could qualify even in the event of defeat, if they can secure a defensive bonus point. A meeting that will take place after the Azzurri’s meeting against the New Zealanders, which is also a decisive match for qualification and is scheduled to take place on September 29. The Tricolores will have time to dissect him, as they won’t play again until October 6th! There are fifteen days between the match against the Namibians and the match against the Italians…

Groups of five teams

A long break due to the very special format of the World Cup, and the restrictions associated with rugby, which remains a “combat sport” as Galthie stated before the start of the competition. In four groups of five teams, The check is exempted every day. Unlike in other team sports, we are not playing rugby every three days, but at least every six days during this World Cup. This explains the number of days in which no matches were held during the extended competition (September 8 – October 28). Meanwhile, the Blues used the weekend to recharge their batteries and repair their aching bodies.