To find traces of a victory for the women’s XV of France against England, you have to go back five years. On March 10, 2018, at the Stade des Alpes, in Grenoble, during the fourth day of the Six Nations Tournament, Jessy Trémoulière scored the third tricolor try, before Audrey Forlani annihilated the last offensive of the British. At the final whistle, Les Bleues won 18 to 17.
Saturday April 29 at 2 p.m., the two architects of this success, supported by a battalion of young players, will be on the lawn of the legendary Twickenham enclosure, where the Tricolores will try to put an end to a series of eleven games without victories. – in all competitions – against the Red Roses. The 2023 edition of the Six Nations is coming to an end and the French women can still dream of a grand slam.
The symbol would be all the more beautiful as Jessy Trémoulière, 30, is playing his last international match. At the end of the meeting, the Auvergnate with 77 caps, who was crowned best player in the world in 2018, will hand over to the new pool of rugbywomen who now make up the XV of France.
By recovering the reins of the selection following the cruel defeat in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup against New Zealand, Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz have chosen to bet on new blood to compensate for the departure of many executives. of the team who have chosen rugby sevens with a view to the 2024 Olympic Games, such as Caroline Drouin and Joanna Grisez. Others like Laure Sansus and Safi N’Diaye have retired from sport. “It’s a new group, with the desire to integrate new people, to put everyone in competition”explained Gaëlle Mignot at a press conference before the start of the tournament.
Training that has been perfected over the years
The renewal of the workforce has therefore gone through the integration of a new generation of players, mainly from the training sector of the French Rugby Federation (FFR). Figures launched earlier and earlier in the deep end which, for some, have made their way into the titular XV. The Bordeaux opening half Carla Arbez, 23, experienced her baptism of fire against Italy. On the wing, Mélissande Llorens, 20, sparks and will start against the XV of the Rose. The French contingent is getting younger, with an average age of 23.7 years for the list of 36 players selected. There are even eight players aged 20 or under.
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