Les Bleues are in the last four. The women’s XV of France qualified for the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Saturday, October 29, thanks to its clear victory against Italy (39-3), in Whangarei (New Zealand).
Gaëlle Hermet’s teammates validated their ticket thanks to a much more successful second period than the first. As often between these two formations, the match took place in a tense climate given the stakes, each gauging the other. Both French and Italian got bogged down in a false rhythm, for a meeting that took time to go from a sluggish and laborious tone to another more playful and twirling.
The first try of the match, however, arrived in the third minute, following a magnificent raise from Emilie Boulard, part of her 22 meters to sneak into the Italian defense and then offer the test to Joanna Grisez between the posts. But the rest of the first period was not at the same level, the French women often confusing speed and haste. Too often penalized and losing too many balls, they failed to materialize their territorial domination. At halftime, the score was 10-3.
Next match against Welsh or New Zealand
Upon returning from the locker room, the French women were denied three tries. It took almost the hour of play for the French to take shelter, after a penalty try awarded by the referee of the game. Les Bleues then let go of the horses to finally win by a wide margin (39-3). Winger Joanna Grisez, recent bronze medalist at the Rugby World Cup Sevens, notably scored three tries.
🇬🇧 FRANCE 39 – 3 ITALY 🇮🇹 🏉 And the hat-trick for Joanna Grisez! Magnificent test of the Blue, we let you admire… https://t.co/VkN2oB98Ox
“One of the first objectives was to play in this last four, it’s done”, reacted Thomas Darracqthe French coach, after the match. “We will work for next weekend, it will be another game, but the first objective has really been achieved. »
Next Saturday at Eden Park in Auckland, Les Bleues will be opposed in the semi-final to the winner of the second quarter of the day, which opposes the New Zealanders, reigning world champions, to the Welsh.
