A first small final this season, and a resounding victory (42-12) for the French sevens rugby team. Beaten at the last minute by New Zealand in the semi-final (28-26), coach Jérôme Daret’s men found the United States, a nation they had clearly beaten in the group stage (24-12).
Antoine Dupont, the star of rugby union, recently arrived at VII, this time started the match on the field, with starting status, on the synthetic turf in Vancouver. He quickly distinguished himself at his expense by receiving a yellow card in the second minute of play. This two-minute exclusion gave space to the Americans, who scored in the process, twice (0- 12).
As soon as he returned to the field, Dupont offered two tries in quick succession to Theo Forner and Aaron Grandidier, allowing the Blues to lead at the break (14-12). Returning from the locker room, the French unfolded, and Dupont closed the debates with a personal exploit (42-12).
The French sevens rugby team thus achieved its best performance of the season 151 days before the Paris Olympic Games this summer (July 26 – August 11), where they will be among the outsiders. Next stop in Los Angeles, from March 1 to 3, where Dupont will once again be the center of attention.
The French defeated against New Zealand
For their part, in the same tournament, the French came up against the New Zealanders in the final, asserting their status as Olympic champions (35-19).
Quickly, the Blues were overtaken by the opposing speed and conceded their first try by Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (0-7), before reacting immediately with the inevitable Anne-Cécile Ciofani, best player in the world in 2021 ( 7-7). But, barely had the Blues caught their breath when the “Black Ferns Sevens” struck again and took the lead at the break (28-7). The rest was almost one-sided, and the New Zealanders ended up winning their 34th title on the circuit.
At the Olympics, captain Carla Neisen’s teammates, silver medalists in Tokyo in 2021, will once again be in the wagon of favorites for gold, with Australia and New Zealand as the main competitors. They will also try to win their first title in early March in Los Angeles.