Morgane Bourgeois’ Women's Six Nations notebook: Chapter 5

We are into the final block now, the home straight. Some of us went back to class, others switched off with family or simply took a mental break, and everyone has come back with fresh energy.

A decisive week for what’s next

From the very start of the week, François [Ratier, France head coach] is crystal clear: this is a decisive stretch for what comes next. This is the moment when we choose whether we want to become a great team, or just keep doing what we have always done.

The Ireland game is still in everyone’s mind. It’s tough, of course, but it also carries a sense of optimism for the future. You can feel that there is something taking shape.

Scotland is our destination this week. A team in difficulty this season, hit by a long list of injuries, but whose qualities we know only too well. And playing away there is never straightforward.

Three days on Scottish soil

The week now runs on a tempo we know by heart. We are settling into our routines, our reference points, our patterns, both in how we are organised and how we prepare.

The trip to Scotland is spread over three days, with departure on the eve of the match and then the captain’s run. This one is, in fact, one of the cleanest sessions we have produced since the start of the Championship.

As Pauline Bourdon Sansus pointed out herself: “It’s one of the best we’ve played since the start of the Championship.” That is a reassuring sign, even if we also know it never guarantees what will follow.

Score, score, and score again

The attacking brief for this match was very clear: enjoy ourselves, back our game plan, and score. Score, score, and score again. There is also a strong focus on the opening minutes. And it is hard to script a better start than Manae’s try right at the beginning of the game.

Fixture

Womens Six Nations

France Women

28 - 43

Full-time

England Women

All Stats and Data

The performance as a whole is a complete success. There are always details to tidy up, of course, but overall it is a good match to build confidence before facing England. At last we can allow ourselves to think about it, to project forward. We will indeed play a final in Bordeaux next week.

The day after the game, our flight was scheduled around 4pm, so the early hours were devoted to rest, recovery and medical check-ups. With a small group, we take the chance to wander through the city, have a coffee and look around a little.

A simple but valuable parenthesis: a few hours away from the rugby and performance bubble, a moment that matters just as much for mental reset as for physical recovery.