TOPS
To discover
Calendar and results 6 Nations
Ranking Tournament 6 of Nations
Gaëlle Hermet was everywhere
Elected player of the match on the occasion of the French victory against Wales (39-14), the third line shone with a thousand lights this Sunday.
Very active in defense with an exemplary attitude and numerous tackles, she especially distinguished herself offensively.
Often present to make the link between the forwards and the backs, she did not hesitate to show herself in the game with great races which brought the whole team forward.
Skilful with the ball in hand, she took part in 5 tries for Les Bleues but above all scored her second try.
And how.
By receiving a pass at the foot of Jessy Trémoulière, she crucified her opponent with a devastating overflow frame to go and score the second try.
A full game.
The successful farewell of Jessy Trémoulière
Seeing her enter the field alone to receive a standing ovation, some may have wondered if they would go directly into her match.
But the 30-year-old opening half did not want to leave any suspense.
For her last match on French soil with the XV of France (she will retire internationally at the end of the tournament), she led the back line of Les Bleues with a masterful hand.
Whether it was ball in hand with fair passes and services after contact or well-inspired foot passes, she made a very complete copy for her last in blue-white-red.
With a 4/7 against the poles she will have scored 9 points this Sunday to bring her total to 265 points scored in 76 selections.
FLOPS
A slump in the second half
Impressive in the first 40 minutes, Les Bleues could hardly do better in the second act.
By scoring a fourth try in the 44th minute, the 18,511 spectators at the Stade des Alpes must have told themselves that the spectacle would be similar until the end of the match.
It was without counting on the awakening of the Welsh women and the deterioration of the weather conditions.
With the onset of rain and wind, the players from Wales showed their advantage by showing their power through simple one-pass play.
Result: two tries scored in six minutes (52' and 58') which could have completely revived the match.
Whatever the conditions, the French will not have the right to reproduce this slump in England next Saturday.
Welsh defense lacking speed
The French knew it, the strong point of the Welsh lay in the power of their forwards.
So the Tricolores decided to press on their weak point by playing wide and putting speed on each phase of the game. And as you might expect, Wales suffered, suffered a lot.
Each French offensive was on the wings where Wales conceded many excesses in defense and found themselves too easily in a dangerous situation close to their line.
Luckily for them, the Welsh saw the rain make its appearance, which complicated the French women's plans to bring the ball alive in the second half.
The French scrum struggled
Under pressure for about twenty minutes in the second period, the XV of France found themselves blocked in their camp because of their scrum.
Sanctioned several times by the referee in the second half, in particular for not straight pushes, the scrum of the Blue fished and did not know how to breathe his team when it needed it.
An axis of progress in preparation for the "final" against England next Saturday.
