'France needed that': Why heavy victory for Les Bleues v Brazil was important

France expected that. No, France needed that. After a determined, stern-faced, no-frills win over Italy in their Women’s Rugby World Cup opener, Les Bleues had to blast away the attacking cobwebs with a smile against Pool D tournament debutants Brazil.

Bianca Silva’s 64th-minute try for As Yaras, rightly, drew the loudest cheer from a full-house in Exeter. Not only was it their first-ever try at their first-ever Rugby World Cup, it was the glorious long-range conclusion of a superb break down the wing from the second-half replacement following a stolen lineout. A highlight-reel highlight.

But the rest was all about France, as they made sure of quarter-final qualification in some style.

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“This match against Brazil is an opportunity to show a different side, to improve, and to fine-tune the many details that didn’t necessarily work against Italy,” captain Marine Ménager had said in the lead-up to the match.

The numbers say a lot: 14 tries, 74 percent territory, 51 percent possession, 60 defenders beaten, 147 runs, 24 offloads, more than 1,000m of ball carries, a 53-0 scoreline at half-time, rising to 84-5 at the final whistle – France’s second highest points tally, after their 99-0 win over Japan in 1994.

But the manner of victory says more. Driven by fizzing livewire Pauline Bourdon Sansus, named player of the match on her return to the starting line-up after a two-match ban, France launched attack after attack from – just about – everywhere.

They dared and they won, from Emilie Boulard’s fifth-minute touchdown that got the scoreboard moving, the first of her two scores on Sunday afternoon; through 19-year-old backrow Marie Morland’s touchdown on debut two minutes later, and Bourdon Sansus’s own try five minutes later; through the additional braces for Ménager, Seraphine Okemba, and Kelly Arbey, who had the final try-scoring word 11 minutes from time.

“We had a blast,” Ménager said afterwards, as the sounds of the two sides partying together drifted through the press room. “We respected this Brazilian team. We tried to play fair and we got the result. Scoring more than 80 points in a World Cup match is a great performance.”

Morland – in for the injured Teani Feleu – made such an impact that it was easy to forget this was her first international cap. It wasn’t just her early try, though that helped. She offloaded out of the tackle, made herself available in attack and defence, and just looked comfortable on and off the ball.

It was clear that a coaches’ gauntlet had been laid down prior to the match. So it proved. Satisfied coach Gaëlle Mignot said afterwards: “We set ourselves a high bar, to score every time we entered the ‘red zone’. The first half was very accomplished, very successful.

“We still have improvements to make – there were moments where we lost consistency. It was important to be focused from A to Z, to play a full match. We had to go through that, if we want to be ambitious.”

The win set up a Pool D decider against South Africa next Sunday in Northampton, after the Springbok Women beat Italy 29-24 in York to lead Les Bleues by a single bonus point with one last group stage match to go. The winners go into the last eight at the top of Pool D. The losers – most likely – face New Zealand.

In the media, South Africa’s first win over Italy, and first-time qualification for the quarter-finals, was reported as a shock. But the France camp weren’t surprised.

“It was a scenario we had in mind before even starting this World Cup,” Ménager said. “We met them at [France training camp] Marcoussis during training for the Six Nations Tournament. They’re very strong.

“We told ourselves [then] that, potentially, we might have a group final to play in this last match – and that’s the case.

“There’s a lot of excitement because it’s going to be a big match. It’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to be ready. So, we’re going to prepare very, very hard. We’re going to recover well and quickly move on to next weekend’s match.

“This World Cup isn’t easy. We started with Italy, a match that was far from a foregone conclusion. Against Brazil, we have had a chance to free ourselves a little more in our game and gain confidence. And we have a big, big match with a team completely different from the other two four our last group match.

“I can think of no better way to prepare for a quarter-final.”

Mignot echoed her captain’s sentiment: “[South Africa’s] win against Italy doesn’t surprise me – we’ve been saying for a long time that they’re improving,” she said, also looking back to the Six Nations’ training between the two national sides.

South Africa’s progress was, she said, proof that the women’s game is in ever-improving shape. “We also saw a big match between the United States and Australia. We were told from the outset that the top two in each group were decided – that’s not the case and it shows the good health of women’s rugby.”