To validate their ticket to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Les Bleues need a victory against Fiji on Saturday (8:15 a.m.) in their last group match. The management of the France team unveiled, Thursday, October 20, a completely redesigned composition compared to the setback conceded against England (13-7). It’s very simple, only two players kept their place, and a third was repositioned.
Céline Ferer, in the second line, Maëlle Filopon in the second center, Caroline Drouin, who slips from the opening to the place of first center, and the winger Emilie Boulard passes to the back. They are the only four survivors of the defeat against the English, aligned in the starting XV against the Fijians.
It must be said that Thomas Darracq, the coach of the Blue, had to compensate for the absence of his scrum half Laure Sansus, best player of the Six Nations Tournament, injured and forfeited for the end of the competition. To challenge the Fijians, Pauline Bourdon will wear number 9, associated with Jessy Trémoulière, who therefore pushes Caroline Drouin, opener against England, to the center. “The game against England was very hard-hitting, even traumatic for a lot of players.justified the coach-trainer at a press conference. There are two challenges: allowing girls to recover and treat all the sores, and we have a performing group, in quantity. It’s an opportunity to put the best team, with the freshness of some players.”
Gaëlle Hermet, on the bench last week, recovers her place in the third line at the same time as the captain’s armband.
The for the last group match!
Les Bleues face Fiji for the first time in history with 2nd place in Pool C at stake #RWC2021
See you Saturday morning at @TF1 #XVdeFrance #Don’tDoXV pic.twitter.com/F5rRfDYmkX
– France Rugby (@FranceRugby) October 20, 2022
For the rest, everything has therefore changed in this team which, overall (only the hooker had been changed from one match to another), had been renewed against the English after the victory against South Africa (40-5 ).