Les Anglaises ont survolé le Tournoi, à l’inverse des Françaises
Une victoire à Bordeaux samedi 27 avril permettrait aux Red Roses de réaliser un troisième Grand Chelem consécutif et de remporter leur sixième Tournoi des Six Nations d’affilée.
Certes le Tournoi a perdu en compétitivité ces dernières années (il n’y a qu’à voir les scores de dictateur de l’Angleterre cette année), mais le match décisif a toujours été à la hauteur des enjeux.
L’an dernier, cinq points seulement séparaient les deux équipes à Twickenham, devant un public record pour un test féminin de 58 498 personnes. On ne comptait que 12 points d’écart à Bayonne un an plus tôt et quatre points en 2021.
Trop facile pour les Anglaises ?
Les Red Roses ont progressivement pris l’avantage sur leurs adversaires françaises depuis leur dernière défaite au Tournoi des Six Nations en 2018, mais elles ont dû travailler dur pour l’obtenir.
Cette année, les filles de John Mitchell ont marqué 38 essais au cours de leurs quatre victoires contre l’Italie, le Pays de Galles, l’Écosse et l’Irlande.
Elles ont marqué 228 points et n’en ont concédé que 20. Personne n’a réussi à battre les Red Roses.
D’un autre côté, les choses n’ont pas été aussi faciles pour les Françaises elles aussi invaincues. À Édimbourg, elles sont parvenues à vaincre l’Écosse 15 à 5, alors que les Écossaises ont mené pendant une grande partie du match.
Il y a eu des victoires confortables contre l’Irlande (38-17), l’Italie (38-15) et le Pays de Galles (40-0 à Cardiff), mais les championnes du Tournoi des Six Nations 2018 n’ont pas été à leur meilleur niveau.
« Une chose qui joue en faveur de la France, c’est qu’elle a eu des matchs serrés, des surprises et qu’elle a dû travailler », a commenté l’ancienne internationale Kat Merchant, championne du monde 2014 avec l’Angleterre, dans le podcast Rugby Union Weekly de la BBC.
« L’Angleterre aurait pu jouer sans problème avec 13 joueuses et battre toutes ses adversaires qu’elle a affrontées jusqu’à présent.
« Aller en France et ne pas être préparé de cette façon, en n’ayant pas eu de rencontre difficile, pourrait bien jouer contre elles. »
La France habituée au sursaut
La France a failli surprendre l’Angleterre à Twickenham l’année dernière en réalisant une incroyable remontée de 33 points en deuxième mi-temps.
Les Red Roses avaient pourtant déployé tout leur jeu en inscrivant cinq essais sans réponse en première période et menaient 33-0 à la pause.
Mais le match s’est terminé sur un score de 38-33, la France s’étant lâchée en seconde période, marquant des essais depuis n’importe où – un avertissement avant le match à Bordeaux pour ne jamais les oublier.
Là où tout pourrait se jouer
La défense de l’Angleterre dirigée par Sarah Hunter a été excellente dans le Tournoi des Six Nations cette année, ne concédant que 20 points et deux essais.
En revanche, les tirs au but ont été un problème pour l’Angleterre tout au long du Tournoi et pourraient être cruciaux dans un match serré décisif pour le titre.
De même, la discipline pourrait être un facteur important. Malgré un carton infligé à la demie de mêlée remplaçante Lucy Packer à Twickenham, les Red Roses ont amélioré leur discipline après les cartons rouges reçus par Sarah Beckett et Amy Cokayne contre l’Italie et l’Écosse.
Le sélectionneur John Mitchell a pourtant martelé que son équipe continuerait à flirter aux limites de la règle, au risque de se prendre un carton.
Mais avec la capacité de la France à marquer des essais de n’importe où, si l’Angleterre dépasse à nouveau les limites, elle pourrait finalement être punie pour sa mauvaise discipline pour la première fois dans la compétition.
Comments on RugbyPass
Always reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
1 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
4 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
4 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to comments