Les Bleues won a bonus victory in Cork, with nine tries scored in Ireland (53-3), Saturday, for their second match in this Tournament.
Never worried, the French women traveled to Ireland (53-3), Saturday April 1, for their second match in the Six Nations Tournament. With nine tries scored against none conceded, France swept away an opponent too quickly overwhelmed. The red card received by Annaëlle Deshayes (21st) did not change anything.
We liked
The birth of a new era
Their only common reference was an unsuccessful match in Italy, despite the success (22-12) last Sunday. The French, with a redesigned team compared to the 2022 World Cup and a new staff, have, with this flashy success, more certainty at the dawn of this new start.
“I think we have launched our adventure”, welcomed the hooker Agathe Sochat, after the meeting on France 2. Despite some understanding mistakes, the Blue, anxious to send the game, regaled with already oiled combinations. The sequel looks promising.
The determination of the Blues
They could have stuck to the basics. Understand, slowing down in the 33rd, when the sacrosanct offensive bonus was in the pocket. Never satiated despite their numerical inferiority, the Blues nevertheless piled up the trials as the clock ticked down. This consistency had precisely failed them in Italy the previous weekend. “We are able to be in continuity from the 1st to the 80th”thus analyzed Gaëlle Hermet at the microphone of France 2.
“We have a great group quality, whether it’s the girls who start or the girls who finish”, continued the third line, itself coming out of a determined bench. The entry of Jessy Trémoulière notably restored the attacking momentum to the Bleues at the end.
The Impassable Defense
If the Blues had flinched on the last Irish offensive, no one would have tried to blame them. But these, anxious to make a perfect copy, thwarted the ultimate inclinations – however timid – of the Irish. A real satisfaction, and this while the XV of Clover offered some shelling sequences in front of the French line (19th, 21st).
Effective in the ruck zones and scratching, the French shook their opponents on numerous offensive tackles and remained relatively disciplined. After undergoing two trials in Italy, the Blues have clearly reassured themselves in this sector.
We didn’t like
The withering of the Clover XV
Any analysis of the French performance, however, deserves to be measured, given the weakness of Ireland. Despite an obvious desire, the locals had all the trouble in the world getting closer to the French line. Stumbling in their game launches, too porous in defense, they displayed too many deficiencies to exist in this match and completely broke down at the end. The gap was such that the red card was not enough to balance the debates, since the French scrum often took over, even at seven against eight.
The dangerous tackle of Deshayes
His uncontrolled gesture remains, a posteriori, anecdotal. Nevertheless, the red card received by the left pillar Annaëlle Deshayes, whose shoulder tackle directly hit the head of Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird (21st), could have proved detrimental for her teammates. The gesture could have, in the same direction, seriously affected the Irish third line, which ultimately remained on the lawn.
With this gross fault, Deshayes exposes himself to a suspension. The same goes for local back Meabh Deely, guilty of having withheld Cyrielle Banet…by the hair, which earned him a yellow card.
Bankruptcy at the foot
If we had to remember a blunder in this almost perfect tricolor copy, we would have to take a look at the success at the foot. Only 4 of the 9 tries were in fact converted by the successive goalscorers. In detail, Pauline Bourdon (0/2) and Morgane Bourgeois (2/5) flinched – in sometimes ideal positions, while Jessy Trémoulière converted his two attempts. Okay, the swirling wind in a completely open stadium didn’t help. But the statistical rendering is clearly insufficient and could, in closer matches, harm the Blues.