The Women’s Six Nations Tournament, which will kick off on Saturday in Cardiff, should be played between France and England. Led by new management, Les Bleues begin their tournament on Sunday, in Parma, against Italy.
Four and a half months after the World Cup in New Zealand, the Six Nations Tournament resumes its rights, from March 25 to April 29 (to follow live on France 2 and france.tv). If England won the last four editions, the XV of France promises, once again, as the main adversary of the “Red Roses”. Behind the two untouchables, the table seems open for places of honor.
New faces at the head of Les Bleues
Exit Thomas Darracq, make way for the duo composed of Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz. Assistants to the former coach during the last World Cup, the former captain of Les Bleues and the former coach of the forwards of Agen will have the heavy task of putting the XV of France back in working order. After the tensions that appeared in New Zealand, and past the disappointment of the result, the France group needs to win to find a dynamic in line with its ambitions. It is with this idea in mind that Audrey Forlani, 57 caps on the clock, was named captain of the France team. Not selected for the World Cup, the second line of Blagnac thus succeeds Gaëlle Hermet. A new coach-captain backbone that must be the one that will lead the Blues to consecration.
England on its way?
The tournament has been owned by the “Red Roses” for four consecutive editions. But after a world final lost last November, the 2023 opus of the Tournament will mark a break for the England team. Captain Sarah Hunter (140 caps) will say goodbye at her home in Newcastle on the first day. In office since 2015, coach Simon Middleton, and his five Tournaments won, will leave his post at the end of April. Finally, nine new faces were called up to prepare for the spring deadline, within a group of 42 players, amputated from its major star, the three-quarter Emily Scarratt, injured in the ankle. But even without her, the English, who will play three times at home, leave favorites of the Tournament, where they remain on 19 consecutive victories. Only the Blues seem able to thwart their plans.
For Les Bleues, it’s time for a new cycle
To start the path to the 2025 World Cup, Les Bleues will be deprived of a few major players, and it is therefore a renewed group that will aim for the title this year. Some forgotten from the last World Cup, such as Cyrielle Banet or Caroline Boujard, thus find a place in Marcoussis. For their part, the ten novices called for the gathering were able to take advantage of a six-day course in Blagnac to refine their automatic skills with the rest of the collective. Among these, Lilou Graciet will be closely followed. Elected revelation of the last Rugby 7s World Cup, the opening half, born in 2004, had splashed the competition with his talent, for his first international appearance. There is no doubt that she will be keen to do the same with the XV of France, if the opportunity arises. present. Above all, this Tournament will be the last of a legend of the XV of France, Jessy Trémoulière. Voted best player in the world in 2018, the defector from Romagnat decided to stop her international career at the end of the tournament to help her father in the family business.
>> To read also: “Another passion will take over, with the farm, the animals …” Jessy Trémoulière explains the reasons for his international retirement
Again repetita at Twickenham?
In what strongly resembles a final for the title, the setting is set: London, Twickenham, Crunch, fifth and last day of the Tournament. A little over a month and a half after the boys’ demonstration, the girls of the XV of France will also try to win in English lands. Twenty years after the first meeting between the two teams at Twickenham – it will be the sixth this year – Les Bleues will seek to win for the second time in their history in the temple of rugby. While the English federation has announced that more than 35,000 tickets have already been sold, it is a real shock that we will witness on April 29. There is no doubt that Audrey Forlani and her teammates will be keen to overthrow a team they have not beaten since 2018, the year of their last Grand Slam in the Tournament.
Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in scattered order
Third nation in the world and strengthened by its quarter-final at the World Cup, Italy is advancing as the confident team of this tournament of “others” and will want to do better than its fifth place last year. Deprived of the high mass of rugby in New Zealand because not qualified, Ireland will want to raise their heads and regain their status as the third power of the plateau that they have long assumed. Irish women who have also decided to move the lines, opting for navy blue shorts to alleviate the anxieties associated with menstruation. Out of the pools during the World Cup, the Welsh will seek to validate this good result by counting in particular on their large contingent of players, eleven exactly, playing in Gloucester (second in the English championship). Finally, for their part, the Scots will aim to forget their wooden spoon of 2022 by winning at least one match.