The Blues fought hard before securing a second victory in this Tournament (15-5), in Edinburgh, on Saturday.
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The XV of France continues in pain. The Bleues of David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot achieved a second success in as many matches in the Six Nations Tournament, winning in Scotland (15-5), Saturday March 30. The players of the French XV were shaken for a long time, before making the difference in the last half hour, to stay on the heels of England in the general ranking.
We liked
The French character
The afternoon could have turned out very differently for the Blues. Annoyed by a strong Scottish defense and by their own mistakes, they showed resistance and resilience, hung on to manage to score two tries, and leave with the victory. “I know that, from the inside, there was never a moment when we stopped believing and panicked. […] We stuck together, and mentally, that’s what made us win the match.”confided French captain Manae Feleu.
This strength of character was also appreciated by the two coaches after the meeting. “We remember that our team didn’t give up, and we come back with this victory which will help us a lot for the future”underlined Gaëlle Mignot at the very beginning of the press conference.
The beautiful Kelly Arbey story
Last week, she thought she would take part in Les Bleues’ offensive festival against Ireland, before seeing her attempt canceled on video. This weekend, for her second outing in the blue jersey, it was she who got her teammates out of a difficult situation by scoring the first French try (53rd). At the end of a great offensive sequence, during which the ball circulated in almost all hands, she went to flatten along the line, well served by Emilie Boulard.
Day 2: Kelly Arbey puts a smile back on the Blues’ faces with a first try
This match is complicated for the French but perhaps the hardest part is now done with the first try in this match scored by right winger Kelly Arbey in the second half, in the 53rd minute. The Blues finally confirmed their domination and got back in front despite the failure of Lina Queyroi’s transformation.
“She is extroverted, I think that is also felt on the pitch”smiled in the mixed zone Assia Khalfaoui. She plays liberated when she only has two caps, not everyone can afford that.” “She’s a little girl full of qualities, and I think she’s going to explode, I wish her”also commented on her club teammate, Pauline Bourdon-Sansus.
Scottish resistance
Galvanized by its victory (20-18) snatched from Wales on the first day, Scotland almost played a bad trick on the French. Well in place, the Scots relied on a very solid defense, and “a tough fight in the contacts”according to Nassira Konde. “We came up against a Scottish defense which made our task very complicated,” assured the co-selector of the Bleues, Gaëlle Mignot.
The Scots also have played their offensive opportunities to the fullest, notably winning the first try of the match on one of their rare entries into the 22 tricolors, while they remained fanny during the last clash between the two teams (55-0), at the 2023 Tournament. “We knew they had very strong wingers in one-on-one situations”recalled Manae Feleu at a press conference.
We liked it less
A glaring lack of realism
This observation was already made last weekend after the big victory against Ireland, and this match against Scotland is far from having swept away all the concerns. Once again, the Blues were sorely lacking in efficiency on the offensive level, and wasted several rounds (only two tries for 14 entries in the Scottish 22m). “We lacked efficiency and precision on high points, which made the game difficult for us.”analyzed David Ortiz.
To try to explain this ineffectiveness, the Blue mentioned the very strong Scottish defense, but also their own errors, from hand faults due to haste to lack of support. “I have the image of Romane crossing the field, we are far away, we are not giving her any solution”regretted the French scrum half Pauline Bourdon-Sansus after the meeting.
A jostled conquest
On the pitch at the Hive Stadium, the Blues were also weighed down by numerous lost balls throughout the match, particularly in conquest. This afternoon, the players of Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz particularly suffered on the sidelines (4 lost for 9 won, the same record as their opponents). “We didn’t always make the right decisions, it took us a while to adjust, we had a lot of slightly lobbed throws, these are mistakes that accumulate”explained Assia Khalfaoui in the mixed zone.
Difficulties on both sides facing the poles
While the first day of the Tournament left good impressions against the poles, both teams were in difficulty in the sector. The Scots even finished the game with a somewhat glorious 0% kick success, after missing their only penalty and their only conversion of the match. Imperial against the Irish, Lina Queyroi this time passed two kicks, but missed the transformation into a corner – not easy – of the first French try.
The players were certainly not helped by difficult weather conditions, and a strong wind which blew through the stadium throughout the match. But the two Scottish kicks were missed while the Chardon XV had the wind at their backs.