Rugby

A new cycle is set to begin for the French national women’s rugby team this Saturday in Grenoble. Following the new momentum that he wants to bring to the French team after their 4th place finish at the World Cup in September, the new head coach Francois Ratier has made strong choices for the start of the Women’s Six Nations Tournament on the field at Stade des Alpes.

Feleu repositioned

As expected, captain Manae Feleu (26 years old) has been moved from the second to the third row. The key player from FC Grenoble will play her 31st international match alongside her teammate from Amazones Léa Champon (23 years old) who will start at number 8. Former winger Joanna Grisez (29 years old) from Bordeaux is also being repositioned to center. Trained in Vizille and playing for Stade Toulousain, Ambre Mwayembe (22 years old) will take the number 1 spot. Savoyard half-back Alexandra Chambon (25 years old) will be on a bench organized in a 6-2 formation.

The program for the French team

• April 11: France vs. Italy (1:25 PM, Stade des Alpes, Grenoble)
• April 18: Wales vs. France (4:35 PM, Arms Park, Cardiff)
• April 25: France vs. Ireland (9:10 PM, Marcel-Michelin Stadium, Clermont)
• May 9: Scotland vs. France (5:15 PM, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh)
• May 17: France vs. England (5:45 PM, Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux)

Six debutantes

In total, six players selected to face Italy for the first time are called up to make their debut with the French team.

Starting in the match will be hooker Mathilde Lazarko (26 years old), her Romagnat teammate Anaës Grando (23 years old, winger), and Stade Toulousain’s full-back Pauline Barrat (21 years old), who displaces the goal kicker Morgane Bourgeois from the squad.

Among the substitutes, FCG’s lock Siobhan Soqeta (19 years old), Toulouse’s lock Cloé Correa (22 years old), and Bordeaux’s center Aubane Rousset (22 years old) will also discover the international level.

France, who has finished second in the tournament six times behind England, currently holding the title, has not won the continental title since 2018.

Lineup: Barrat – Grando, Grisez, Vernier, Murie – (o) Arbez, (m) Bourdon-Sansus – M. Feleu (c), Champon, Berthoumieu – Fall-Raclot, Zago – Khalfaoui, Lazarko, Mwayembe. Substitutes: Riffonneau, Brosseau, Bernadou, Correa, Soqeta, Escudero ; Chambon, Rousset.