They wanted to mark the spirits in this autumn tour. It is little to say that the Bleues of Annick Hayraud have already fulfilled the contract set by the staff. On Saturday 13 November, spectators at the Hameau de Pau stadium saw the XV of France inflict a real demonstration on New Zealand women by winning 38-13. If the Blue remained on two victories against the Black Ferns, they had never made such a copy: six tries for the Blue, one for the Black Ferns and 25 points difference.
We do not even know where to start as the Blues were so brilliant. Yes, it was not all perfect. There have been loose balls here and there, approximate passes, ground faults, but it is an inevitable waste when you pack at this point the rhythm of a meeting and that you miss at times a little lucidity. With a double (11th, 15th), including a test on a marvel of passing at the foot of the Gabrielle Vernier center, winger Cyrielle Banet launched French business perfectly. The Bleues led 12-6 in the quarter of an hour of play.
Impressive in conquest, the Blue were able to take advantage of well-placed touches to fix the opposing defenders thanks to the power of their forwards, before sending their three-quarters into orbit. After Cyrielle Banet, Chloé Jaquet (19 years old, 2 selections), entered in place of Caroline Boujard on the wing, went there for her test just before the break (19-6). Enough to offer the Blue a nice mattress in advance and put a hell of a blow behind the heads of New Zealand women.
The charges of Emeline Gros and Romane Ménager, the malice and precision at the foot of Gabrielle Vernier, the quality of the line-up in touch led by captain Gaëlle Hermet, the speed of the ball exits imposed by the Bourdon-Drouin hinge , the will to play standing and to use after-contact passes, everything has been done to stifle the hopes of their opponents as soon as possible. Five-fold world champions, the New Zealand women have been deluding themselves for a good half hour. Pragmatic, their first and rare passages in the French camp were rewarded, but the Blue did not let go. The Black Ferns had to wait until the 73rd minute to register their first and only try of the meeting by Blackwell.
If the performance of the XV of France is historic – the Bleues had never won by more than nine points against the Black Ferns – and valuable in its quest for the world title, it seems important to remember that their opponents come out two blank years due to Covid-19. They only arrived in France with two matches in the legs, two spanking against the English (number 1 in the world rankings). What to explain in part, the misunderstandings, the balloons lost in touch or the growing fatigue over the meeting, which weighed on the game of New Zealanders. They will have a week to raise their level of play and try to take their revenge against the Blue, next Saturday (November 20).