French Women's Rugby: Promise Exposed, Lack of Mastery Costs Team Against England

Despite undeniable progress, the French women's rugby team suffered a thirteenth consecutive defeat to England (42-21) in the Six Nations tournament, highlighting a critical "lack of composure" with just eighteen months to go before the 2025 World Cup.

The French Women's XV Shows Promise but Falls Short Against England, Exposing a Lack of Mastery

Despite undeniable progress, the French Women's XV suffered a thirteenth consecutive defeat to England on Saturday in the Six Nations Tournament, highlighting a worrying "lack of mastery" with just eighteen months to go before the 2025 World Cup.

Before a record-breaking crowd of 28,023 at Bordeaux's Stade Chaban-Delmas, the team led by Manae Feleu faced a numerical disadvantage throughout the second half following Assia Khalfaoui's red card in the 43rd minute.

However, this was not the sole reason for the defeat, which was already virtually assured by halftime (35-14).

The French players exhibited sloppy handling (24 mistakes), missed opportunities, and a disallowed try. They conceded twelve penalties, displaying excessive nervousness and a lack of clear thinking.

Third-row forward Romane Ménager, who once again played well, admitted, "Sometimes we try to do too much, which has been a bit of a flaw in the Tournament, and it showed today."

"High-level rugby demands a great deal of mastery, and we clearly lacked that today," added David Ortiz, co-coach of the Bleues, at a press conference. "But it's something that can be fixed quite easily."

"Impermissible Errors"

Gabrielle Vernier, a center who scored the first French try (17th minute), was more critical, calling these details "unforgivable at this level: we 'screwed' our own game up, and I think we can only blame ourselves for the score."

"We are among the best nations in the world, and yet we can't finish, even though we have some tremendous individual players," she said, with a hint of bitterness.

The English, on the other hand, were more clinical, never missing an opportunity to score when they found themselves in the French territory.

"They punish us, they destroy us as soon as we make a small mistake, and we struggle to do the same," acknowledged Pauline Bourdon Sansus, a tireless scrum-half on Saturday. "And I think that's what still sets them apart from us."

Despite the disappointing result, there were some positive signs for the French team, with good play, three-quarters who were willing to take risks, and forwards who had regained their effectiveness in the lineout.

"We'll give it our all for the World Cup, we all have it in the back of our minds, and tonight, we also showed what we're capable of when we have the ball," Vernier emphasized.

"Uniting the Team"

For Gaëlle Mignot, the other co-coach of the Bleues, "the team has made progress, that's undeniable. We're not going to judge this Tournament based on this one match. The adventure is taking shape more and more, and we're lucky to have resilient players."

However, on Saturday in Chaban-Delmas, more was needed to defeat the English, who struck a major blow with just eighteen months to go before "their" World Cup in 2025.

The "Red Roses" built their victory in the first half by scoring five tries. The French were unable to close the gap, and Assia Khalfaoui's dismissal upon the return from the locker room, after she had already received a yellow card the previous weekend in Wales, made a comeback impossible.

Despite these setbacks, the French continued to believe, playing quickly, camping in the English territory, and pounding their opponents' lines, ultimately giving Marine Ménager a double (69th minute).

"We were all determined to lift the trophy, we pulled together, and this is the determination мы have had since the start of the Tournament. It's the unity of the team that makes us strong, even when we're down to 14," said third-row forward Charlotte Escudero, who believes that the Bleues "fought valiantly."