Women's Six Nations: Wales-France, no nonsense before the Crunch

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.

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,” added full-back Emilie Boulard (24 years old, 29 caps).

“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).

Also read Six Nations (F): Feleu, Vernier, Bourdon Sansus… The five French women to follow during the Tournament

After a somewhat sluggish start to the 2024 Tournament, despite victories over Ireland (38-17) then Scotland (15-5), the players of the duo David Ortiz-Gaëlle Mignot 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.

“We are not going to arrive with a flower in our arms,” 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 games..." The ideal opponent for the Blues before turning to England.