Shine at home. All Olympic team France teams dream of it one year before the Paris Games. On Saturday, the France rugby 7s teams offered themselves a little shot of adrenaline and a bath of confidence in front of their public, in Toulouse, on the occasion of a stage of the World Sevens Series, the world circuit.
Battered Friday by Ireland, the Blues have superbly straightened the bar on the second day of competition. The girls of coach David Courteix, Olympic vice-champions in Tokyo in 2021, first beat Australia (19-12), in their last group match, thanks to a double from Joanna Grisez. They then swept Great Britain in the quarter-finals (28-10) with a new double from the French winger, very much in legs.
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Sunday, in the semi-finals (10:06), the French will face the best nation in the world, New Zealand, who had beaten them in the final in Tokyo. It will take a feat for Les Bleues to reach the final.
Semi-final secured for @FranceRugby 🇫🇷
What a finish from Lou Noel 🔥 #HSBC7s | #France7s pic.twitter.com/iwvVmi1LYK
— World Rugby 7s (@WorldRugby7s) May 13, 2023
"We are able to get back to the score when we are leading"
The Blues, they confirmed the progress glimpsed this season in the wake of a carefree youth. The fourth largest nation in the world, the France team beat the Fijian Olympic champions (24-19) after leading 0-14. The light came from Joachim Trouabal, son of former sprinter Jean-Charles Trouabal, world record holder in the 4x100m relay in Split in 1990, who scored a hat-trick by making his speed speak.
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In the quarter-finals, the French then dominated Great Britain (17-12) at the end of the suspense. It is the young Parisian Varian Pasquet (23 years old), trained at the PUC and who plays at the Stade Français, who released the Ernest-Wallon stadium, after the siren. This Sunday, they will also face New Zealand in the semi-finals (13:54).
"It was inconceivable to lose in front of our audience, savored Pasquet at the microphone of Canal +. New Zealand for the girls and for us, it will be two big games. But we proved that we were a big team, the All Blacks do not scare us in view of our last result against them in the semi-finals in Hong Kong, we had the ball to win (defeat 7-12). »
"We pay very big games against good teams from the beginning, confirmed Jonathan Laugel at the microphone of Canal +. Great Britain, it was hard, even if they played 6 and then 5 (two yellow cards). We showed resilience to get the win. Since the beginning of the season, it's been a great trademark, we are able to get back to the score when we are leading and go for the victory at the end. "
