France Plunders Brazil as Court Verticals Bow Upwards to the French
France reinforced the conquistador position as dominators of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with their recent victory of 84–5 over Brazil, which was Brazil’s debut at the tournament. They were in the 4th pool D with the French. France came away with 14 tries, while 9 of them were in the 1st. The French finished the game with 9 as they ruthlessly bowled over Brazil’s defense. France managed to maintain their place at the World Cup’s quarters.
The main event of the night was Brazil’s Bianca Silva who was the first woman to touch the Rugby World Cup and managed to score as well. The supporters of France felt great pain as Silva managed to beat 9 other women and flew over three quarters of the field.
The Captain of France, Marine Ménager, felt that Bianca’s score was the reason France was able to win. After Bianca managed to score, France touched the ball and scored 2 more, solidfying their position in the game.
First Half Blitz
The attitude of the contest was perceived from the onset of the whistle. It took a little over five minutes when fullback Émilie Boulard popped through a gap in line of defense of Brazil and scored a try. A few moments later, flanker Marie Morland bulled over and scored from a short distance. She took advantage of French dominance over the breakdown.
By the 20th minute of the game, it was already a shutout. Scrum half Pauline Bourdon Sansus painted the game beautiful with her passes and speedy little runs. She was named Player of the Match. She was then followed by Kelly Arbey, Annaëlle Deshayes, then Lina Queyroi, all of whom scored before the half hour mark. Queyroi was even able to add some conversions although her very first kicks showed she was far from the goal.
The French backline scored tries with accuracy and precision. The same went for Laure Sansus, who not long after giving birth returned to play for the French international team. She was superb. Time and time again, she was able to increase the speed of the game and beat Brazil by finding mismatches. The disappointment from the French squad was only for the missed conversions. Other than that, it was a great day for France, who won 53-0.
Silva’s Path of Independence
In the second half, it was no longer about questions of winning – it was about the margin of victory. Séraphine Okemba scored her second try of the evening and Boulard crossed again, making it four. Then, Nassira Konde streaked down the wing to add to the margin.
This, however, is about Silva. With Brazil pinned deep, the French line-out offered a Brazil a rare breath of fresh air – something they greatly needed. Quicker than you could blink, the forwards were able to secure and ship the ball down to the backs – completing a clean pass. Silva was able to set her a pass near her own twenty two line but she was able to easily break the defenses and was was now in The Brazil 22 unmarked. In a blink of an eye she was down the pitch – her pace electric.
Silva easily marked down Brazil’s World Cup try in history. To her surprise, her teammates came rushing in and Brazilian fans went wild. Even French portuguese fans were able to realize the significance of the goal and began to applaud.
“I hope this try motivates and changes the landscape of rugby in Brazil,” head coach Emiliano Caffera added. “Touched by such moments, girls back home will get bullish hope on pursuing rugby.”
France Flexes Their Muscles
Silva’s try temporarily leveled the playing field, but France was quick as lightning in showcasing their undeniable prowess. In no time, Lina Tuy and Kelly Arbey scored on beautifully designed team plays, retaking control of the game.
When the game concluded, France had scored 84 points. While this is still a remarkable victory and a strong statement, it does fall short of their 1994 record-setting performance of the World Cup, a 99-0 victory against Japan. This also gets rid of the doubts France’s performance on Italy, where they scored only 24 points and still won the match, raised.
“Italy was a game where we came away with the positive of the day and got points to spare,” said captain Ménager. “Tonight, we managed to showcase what we can achieve at our top tier. This is the country, France, we want them to be intimidated by.”
Most Notable Players
Multiple players displayed a strong impact from the game showing why France has such depth in their squad.
- Pauline Bourdon Sansus: The way she resumed the activity was inspirational. Six weeks after giving birth, she was still able to skillfully lead and perform some plays, even executing some tries and assisting others. She said smiling, “Baby Arthur gave me strength. I just wanted to show I could still contribute.”
- Émilie Boulard: The full-back was the first to score and netted another goal in the second half. She was able to single-handedly take advantage of Brazil’s defense due to her intelligent running lines.
- Marine Ménager: The team’s captain set the tone for the team as she scored two tries before halftime. She showed great leadership in her comments after the game, calling the win a milestone, and not an end goal.
- Bianca Silva: Even though her team lost, Silva’s individual skill and talent fueled a bright moment during the game at Sandy Park. Her individual effort has gained a lot of prestige, and it’s something people will remember, even though her team lost.
Brazil’s Brave Debut
Despite the added points to the score, Brazil’s participation in the World Cup was monumental. The country in South America is more famous for its rugby sevens, as the women’s team has consistently competed at the world level. The transition into rugby 15 has been difficult, however, Silva’s try does show improvement in the team’s progress.
“All our players come from sevens,” explained coach Caffera. “Fifteens is still new for us. But this is how we grow. We grow by playing the best teams in the world. We grow by testing ourselves. We grow by making history.”
For Brazil, these few moments in time are worth celebrating: a line-out won, a solid scrum, a line-break. These moments become few and far between when pitted against the raw strength and structure of the French side, but Silva’s talent showed Brazil can still produce world-class players.
Tactical Analysis: France’s Ruthlessness
France’s athleticism was not the only thing the country was successful in. France was tactically dominant as well. Their scrum on Brazil was overwhelming time and time again, gaining numerous penalties from and setting the stage for attacking plays. Brazil’s territorial pressure against them was a constant when the French scrummers counter-rucked and nullified their possession.
Fly-half Lina Queyroi’s distribution opened up big long wide channels, while inside center Gabrielle Vernier’s direct running in towards the middle of the field out wide running created space to width. France’s Deshayes and Morland consistently over the gain line, tying in defenders and empowering bunnies.
For head coach Gaëlle Mignot, the only thing to worry about is discipline in conversion rates. To score weak kicks missed was costly, especially against heavily outfitted opposition.
A Glimpse Ahead
Currently, France is second in Pool D with nine points, behind South Africa. Next Sunday, the two teams will play each other, which will likely determine the winner of the group.
In the quarter finals, France has the option of being defended against the champions, New Zealand, which is something they will want to avoid. In order to avoid that match, they would have to defeat South Africa convincingly.
Ménager, the team captain, stated, “We know what’s ahead. South Africa are strong, physical, and improving. There are no gaps. It was good tonight, but the next game is about being hard to beat.”
France’s World Cup Journey So Far
With France being one of the most (if not the most) recognized teams in women’s rugby, they have never won the World Cup, only placing multiple times in 3rd. It is disappointing to see that for the amount of rugby they play, France has not won, this providing even more motivation to the team.
However, this is the year to change history for France, along with the other favorites England, New Zealand, and Canada. France’s win against Brazil showed what they are capable of, and proved that they are indeed a team to watch out for.
“We are contenders,” said Ménager. “People seemed to doubt us after Italy. I think tonight erased those doubts.”
If we look beyond the scoreboards, the match highlights the continuing surge in popularity for women’s rugby. World Rugby now reports more than 2.7 million women players. Even Brazil, historically an outsider, has joined the 15s arena.
Silva’s try summarized this growth as it showcased brilliance that is bound to inspire an entire generation Brazilian girls to play rugby. Like coach Caffera says, “We came here to play three tough games. Hopefully we score another try and keep more of the ball. Every step matters.”
Conclusion: History Created, Statement Made
Bianca Silva’s try for Brazil will go hand in hand with France’s 84-5 thrashing as two points of focus: the ruthless efficiency of Les Bleues in earning a quarter-final spot and Bianca Silva’s try.
France was reminded of their ability to go deep in the tournament, while Brazil experienced their firsts, a World Cup first appearance, a try, and a moment that pride that was greater than the score.
With every matches of the year Football World Cup, new stories come to life. The French Team are still in the tournament, head bent on the trophy, while the Brazilian Team go back with their dreams to be improved and yet again, history created. The confrontation of the two was held in the Sandy Park, the two of them facing each other was the apt display of the magnificence of the game. To overtake an opponent, you must defend and still have to inspire all on the same field.
Stay updated with reliable news:
Sports: Sport Flash HQ
Business: Biz Rush
Weather: The Climate Post
Travel: Neon Report
US Local: 24 Hour Bulletin
India Finance: The Lucky Ledger
General: The Chrono Post