After three successes in a row, the Blues will have to step up their game again in Wales on Sunday, to continue dreaming until the final shock against the English, queens of the Six Nations Tournament.
The Red Roses (1st, 15 pts), vice-world champions and five-time title holders, host Ireland and seem equipped to pursue their solo rider at the top of the ranking before Italy and Scotland cross swords .
The last team capable of thwarting the English plans, France (2nd, 14 pts) must therefore win, with the bonus if possible, to, moreover, hope to win a first Grand Slam since 2018.
“The risk of planning on England is not thinking about the next match. »
Madoussou Fall
But there is no question of thinking too much about the
“final”
, scheduled for April 27 in Bordeaux.
“We can't afford to waste this match and think directly about England without thinking about this weekend (...) Let's think about Wales first and we'll see about England on Sunday evening or Monday morning
,” put fullback Emilie Boulard (24 years old, 29 caps) into perspective.
“The risk of planning for England is not thinking about the next match. Which is important. Even though they took big scores, they are still a very good team. We don’t put the cart before the horse
,” said second row Madoussou Fall (26 years old, 28 selections).
After a somewhat sluggish start to the 2024 Tournament, despite victories over Ireland (38-17) then Scotland (15-5), the players of the David Ortiz-Gaëlle Mignot duo delivered a particularly successful performance against Italy (38-15) while asserting their direct and offensive style. Against the Welsh, and even more so against the English ogre, the Blues will have to continue on this path, without panicking or getting excited.
The Welsh have not won since September
“We are not going to arrive with a flower in our guns
,” promised third row Charlotte Escudero (23 years old, 18 selections) before the trip to Wales, which has not won since September and remains on three losses in the competition (20-18 against Scotland, 46-10 against England then 36-5 against Ireland).
“The scores they collect do not reflect the level of the Welsh
,” Escudero further tempered.
It's a hyper-constructed team, massive up front with hyper-fast three-quarters, who play the game..."
The ideal opponent for the Blue before turning to England.