EN Womens Six Nations Tournament: The Blues must confirm against the Welsh

Obviously, not everything was perfect last Saturday for François Ratier’s big debut at the head of the French women’s team against Italy. But the slim lead of the Tricolores at halftime (5-0) ultimately resulted in a well-controlled second period (40-7), with the French women showing promise for the future and consolidating their coach’s initial choices. 40 successful minutes that only need to be confirmed this Saturday (4:35 pm), during the trip to Wales, on the 2nd day of the Six Nations Tournament.

“The errors to correct”

“Winning this first match is a relief. You start a cycle, the staff works hard, the players too, they are on board. We must win, there is no choice. We must win,” Ratier reiterated on Thursday in Marcoussis, a few days after experiencing “emotions multiplied by 100, 1,000” for his baptism of fire with the French XV. While the quest for the title in the Tournament, which has eluded them since 2018, is on everyone’s minds, Manae Feleu’s teammates must be careful not to trip over the Welsh rug.

Certainly inferior to the French on paper (they have finished in the last two places in the Tournament), Wales only lost by five points in the opener, against Scotland (24-19). “I told the players that we don’t want to be the team on which the Welsh will have their first real performance,” Ratier also stated.

In the shadow of the legendary Millennium Stadium, the French women should impose their rhythm this Saturday. An opportunity to perfect their game launches and their passing, one of the weak points against Italy. “If we manage to have this vertical and horizontal threat and our ability to play on both sides, we will pose more problems for the defense,” emphasized the former Canadian coach, also aware of the quality of the Welsh forwards.

“We know where we want to go”

“We need to take away hopes from the opposing team and build more certainties for ourselves,” said Clermont hooker Mathilde Lazarko, who will be at the center of a 100% Auvergne front row. “I think we have overall understood the project [of the new coach]. We know where we want to go and what it can look like. However, there are still many details to clarify, errors to correct,” she continued.

It’s up to the French women to turn words into actions before facing Ireland the following weekend, the team that almost eliminated them in the last World Cup quarter-finals.