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France set up Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam showdown with England

By PA
France is congratulated by teammates after scoring a try during the Ireland V France, Women's Six Nations Rugby match at Musgrave Park on April 1st, 2023, in Cork, Ireland. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

France will take on England in a Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider at Twickenham next weekend after holding off a Wales fightback to win 39-14 in Grenoble.

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The French scored four tries in a one-sided first half to lead 29-0 at the break but Wales were the better side in the second and might have had more than two tries to show for their efforts.

Romane Menager went over inside two minutes as France completely dominated the early proceedings, with Gaelle Hermet and a double from Melissande Llorens adding to their lead.

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Charlotte Escudero extended the advantage to 34-0 shortly after the break but Wales then began to mount a fightback and Gwenllian Pyrs and Georgia Evans both crossed for tries that were converted by Elinor Snowsill.

The final word went to France, though, Rose Bernadou scoring their sixth try to maintain their unbeaten record ahead of Saturday’s trip to London.

Wales need a point from their final match away to Italy to secure a second straight third-placed finish.

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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