Martin Lange, edited by Gauthier Delomez
The XV of France women faces this night at 5:30 am French time, Italy in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, in New Zealand, after a good run in the group stage. “It’s a second competition that is starting,” launches captain Gaëlle Hermet at the microphone of Europe 1.
So far, everything is going according to plan for Les Bleues in New Zealand. Their entry into the Women’s Rugby World Cup was successful, with two very big victories against South Africa then against Fiji, and a narrow defeat against England, the big favorites of the tournament. Before facing Italy in the quarter-finals at 5:30 a.m. French time tonight, the French team has only one shadow on the board, and a major one: the injury and the end of their star’s career, the scrum-half Laure Sansus.
Despite this, Thomas Darracq’s players are where they should be, in the quarterfinals. Place now in the cleaver matches, in direct elimination.
Italy, an opponent that Les Bleues know by heart
“It’s a second competition that is starting”, launches Gaëlle Hermet, the captain of the XV of France at the microphone of Europe 1. “We work hard, we know why. This objective, we have not been preparing for it for six weeks, but since long before, so we know what to expect and we just want to play a big rugby match”, salivates the captain.
Facing the Blue will stand the Squadra Azzurra. An opponent they know by heart because they face him every year in the Six Nations Tournament, and beat them very regularly. Be careful though: in preparation for the World Cup, the French women had fallen against these same Italians.