Rugby. Six Nations tournament: The Blues must beat Scotland to reach the final

For a first title in the Tournament since 2018, the path for the French Women’s XV team will go through Scotland this Saturday, after a perfect start to the competition, before facing off against England in the final showdown. After the first three matches under new coach Francois Ratier, the French team has the same number of points as the English: a flawless 15 out of 15 thanks to three bonus-point victories against Italy (40-7), Wales (38-7), and Ireland (26-7). However, they are second in the points difference and it seems unlikely that they will be able to close the gap (+136 against +83) before the last day.

The advantage the English team has in points difference comes from their big win over… Scotland, with a score of 84-7 on the second matchday, even though the match was played at Murrayfield instead of the Hive stadium where the French team will play. Nevertheless, “we’re not talking about England,” assured Francois Ratier on Thursday while announcing the team composition.

Despite the good results, there is still work to be done for the team, especially in improving their starts to matches and the first halves which have been below par compared to the second halves. “The three starts are similar, meaning we immediately give the ball back to the opponent and then we have to rely on solid defense. We can’t afford to start like that,” insisted the coach. “Once again this week we really focused on these first 20 minutes,” he added to ensure these difficulties do not recur.

“It’s up to us to take control,” emphasized prop Assia Khalfaoui. “We rely a lot on the staff, but it’s us on the field. We need to find a way to wake up from the first minute in training, to reproduce the attitude in matches.” The coach has kept faith in his squad, with only one new player in the 23, replacement tight-head prop Annaelle Deshaye. However, he has made three changes in the forward pack, particularly rewarding the strong performances of back row Charlotte Escudero and lock Siobhan Soqeta in previous matches.

This will help improve their cohesion against a team not at the same level on paper, coming off a heavy loss to Italy (41-14). This defeat prompted the Scottish coach to make seven changes, including the returns of Rhona Lloyd on the wing and Louise McMillan in the second row. “We know we can try to tire them out faster than us,” noted flanker Lea Champon during the week. “Matches like this, there are plenty in the history of sport, and it’s always the same story, if we underestimate the opponent just by their ranking, we expose ourselves to big surprises,” warned Francois Ratier.

Context: The French Women’s XV rugby team is aiming for a title in the Tournament after a string of successful matches.
Fact Check: The French team faces tough competition from England, with the need to address issues in their game to secure victory.