Better late than never: Are France coming into contention for this World Cup?

On paper, the final Pool D match of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup between France and South Africa had all the ingredients of a nail biter.

But the reality was far different; France utterly dominated.

This match was always going to be a winner-takes-all affair. Both sides had already qualified for the knock-out stages in Exeter next weekend, all that was left to determine was who they would face in the quarter finals.

With their commanding 57-10 victory, France ensured they would play Ireland at Sandy Park and not New Zealand in the final eight, but perhaps the bigger victory was that Les Bleues finally seem to have hit their stride after an arduous build-up to the competition.

Which begs the question, how have France performed at the World Cup so far?

It’s not that France have been badly out of sorts of late, but rather the squad has not produced what it is so clearly capable of.

An average Six Nations campaign was capped off by a stunning performance against England at Twickenham that so nearly delivered the most unlikely of victories in the all-important Grand Slam decider, but a chastening loss at home to the same opposition in their only World Cup warm-up match left the side wondering what had gone wrong.

When co-head coaches David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot’s side opened their World Cup campaign with a laborious 24-0 defeat of Italy in Exeter, the warning signs were there.

Handling errors, indiscipline and inaccuracies permeated the team’s performance. Experienced players such as co-captain Marine Ménager looked out of sorts. A lack of a bonus point in a game where France had dominated so much in the set-piece and in possession was simply unacceptable.

The demolition of Brazil showed that France hadn’t suddenly forgotten how to play rugby. But with all the respect to Brazil, they are not currently at the level of France and a landslide victory was the only feasible outcome.

South Africa was always going to be the litmus test. How France would respond to a side they had first-hand experience of during a specially organised training session at Marcoussis during this year’s Six Nations was the key.

This Springbok side is not the same as the one that was soundly beaten 40-5 in the opening game of the last World Cup in New Zealand. And Ortiz and Mignot knew it.

“They were on tour in France, and we had the chance to host them for a shared session. It was during the Six Nations. It was an intense session, very physical,” said Mignot during the week.

“It took us a few moments to realise what was happening, but it quickly became clear – they were determined, had a message to send, and wanted to make a statement.

“The players felt it, and so did we. They made it clear South Africa had come to this World Cup to show how much they’ve progressed, that they’ve raised their level and are aiming for the quarter finals. And they proved it by qualifying.

The message from the coaching staff was clear. Les Bleues were not allowed to rely on past performances to determine their own destiny. They needed to play and play they did.

Ortiz and Mignot’s selection of a 6-2 bench split on Sunday made it clear that they took the significant power of the South African pack seriously.

One of the main strengths of the French side amid a slightly misfiring attack this tournament, has been their scrum and so again it proved the case.

From the word go, France were on top and they used this area of the game to their advantage.

“We wanted to dominate in the scrum, in the tackles,” co-captain Manae Feleu said. “We knew South Africa was going to be tough, they have a really big team, tough physically, so we wanted to make a statement on that.”

Two tries were created as a direct result of scrums deep inside the Springbok 22. Charlotte Escudero’s first score was a simple pick and go, but the entire pack could easily have driven over the line themselves.

Emilie Boulard was then handed a relative walk-in from another Escudero pick-up which she then fed to Pauline Bourdon-Sansus.

It’s the one constant that France have been to rely on and, when the pack was on form, the backline clicked. Lina Queyroi cruised through the match at fly-half while the increasingly solid centre pairing of Gabrielle Vernier and Nassira Kondé punched holes in the defence at will.

Add to that the backline of Boulard, Joanna Grisez (each of whom bagged a double) and Méngaer and France can be unstoppable.

It was a gameplan and style that understandably pleased Ortiz.

“We are ecstatic,” he reflected post-match. “This is what we wanted, we played the way we wanted to and now have to concentrate on the quarter-final.

“We managed to control what we couldn’t do last time and correct our mistakes and hopefully this will lead us to a better match in the quarters.”

In order to do that and keep alive their hopes of an eighth semi-final appearance, Ortiz and Mignot will be hoping for another set-piece special against Ireland.

Fixture

Women's Rugby World Cup

France Women

18 - 13

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Ireland Women

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When taken to task about their selection choices against the Springboks, Ortiz and Mignot’s responses were clear. The co-coaches were spoilt for choice but make no mistake, these players were picked for the occasion.

Bourdon-Sansus was again selected alongside Queyroi at half-back while Boulard got the nod ahead of Morgane Bourgeois at full back. The playmakers were picked for their tempo and execution and the pace at which France operated was simply too much for South Africa.

Player of the match for the second week running Bourdon-Sansus was at the heart of almost everything in attack for France. Her distribution got her side onto the front foot with relative ease and the scrum-half kept South Africa chasing their tails early in the second half with constant quick tap penalties as the Springbok discipline started to wane.

Boulard too, was immense, and will no doubt prove a dangerous threat for Ireland to have to manage next weekend. The full back, who moved to the wing after Bourgeois replaced Ménager at half-time, was a constant presence in attack and bagged two well-worked tries.

She also created France’s bonus point try on the brink of the half too; her quick throw-in after the ball was tapped into touch by Jakkie Cilliers allowed Queroi to send Agathe Gerin – on her 60th cap – to crash over in the corner and virtually bury the game as a contest.

“We still have a lot to give,” said Bourdon-Sansus. “Our objective was to finish first and we did it. Now it’s getting better and better, stronger and stronger for the quarter-final and we are ready to go.

“[Being solid in defence] was our goal. We still have a bit of tweaking to do but we’ll be at our best for next week against Ireland.”

That France are still not entirely satisfied with their performance is a good thing. The challenge of Ireland next weekend cannot be underestimated. These are two foes who know each other well and fought an incredible close match in the Six Nations back in March.

France is building towards something great; the players are clicking, and time will only tell if they can finish the job.