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Pauline Bourdon Sansus returns to France’s starting line-up
Pauline Bourdon Sansus returns to France’s starting line-up as coaches Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz ring the selection changes for Les Bleues’ second Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Pool D outing against Brazil.
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The scrum-half, who comes straight back into the side after serving a two-match ban for questioning refereeing standards in the French domestic Elite 1 competition, is one of 11 changes to the starting line-up from the 24-0 win over Italy on the opening weekend.
She will reform her Toulosue halfback partnership with Lina Queyroi when the sides meet at Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park on Sunday.
Only flanker Léa Champon, winger Kelly Arbey, centre Gabrielle Vernier, captain Marine Ménager – who slides from outside centre to the opposite wing – remain from the starting line-up against Italy, as the coaches freshen up the squad for the middle match of the pool phase.
Earlier in the week, Ortiz had primed journalists and fans for the widely expected personnel shifts: “There will inevitably be changes in team composition,” he said. “It’s important to prepare the group as a whole – obviously, to do this, we’re calling on players we didn’t see last weekend.”
Lyon’s 19-year-old number eight Marie Morland will win her first cap at the back of the scrum, while Stade Bordelais’ uncapped Makarita Baleinadogo has been named on the bench.
She replaces Téani Feleu, who suffered a foot injury in last Saturday’s victory over Italy at the same venue. Feleu, the younger sister of Les Bleus’ co-captain Manae, was in a walking boot earlier in the week, but is expected to be available for France’s final Pool D match against South Africa on Sunday 7th September.
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Morland – a relatively late convert to rugby – had told Midi Olympique this week that she had not expected a call-up to the senior squad so early.
“I didn’t think I’d be part of this group, let alone do the preparation, so imagining myself here … it’s really a nice surprise.
“I always told myself that I would go step by step. To be honest, I thought I would start with the under-20s, and here I am.”
Brazil are an unknown quantity for the French, who refuse to take their opponents lightly despite the gap between the sides in World Rugby’s rankings. Ortiz noted: “The uncertainty of playing against a team you don’t know is a special feature of the World Cup.”
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He went on: “We have a lot of images from their matches against the Netherlands or other South American teams. We obviously have the match against South Africa which was the main basis of [our] work this week.
“We are trying to decipher their strengths and potential. It is a team which includes a lot of fast and powerful sevens players. We will really have to lock these players down.”
Beyond keeping Brazil at arm’s length on Sunday, the players are looking for a big performance. Winger Kelly Arbey told reporters: “We couldn’t express ourselves as we wanted against Italy. Now, we have to make a big impact, play our game, dare to do things we don’t usually do.
And flanker Séraphine Okemba warned that there is more in the French tank. “The idea is to focus on ourselves, on our game, on the points we’ve obviously validated and on the points to improve,” she said. “There are still a lot of things to work on, to improve.”
In other news from the France camp, French international fly-half Caroline Drouin announced her retirement from rugby on Tuesday, after more than a year battling a knee injury. The 29-year-old who won silver with France at the Tokyo Olympics, and was a member of Les Bleues’ 2018 Grand Slam-winning team, last wore a France shirt at the Paris Games in 2024. Her final outing with the full side was in the 25-24 Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand in 2021.
Bourdon Sansus was named in the top 10 of RugbyPass’ Top 50 Women’s Players, read the list here.
France squad v Brazil
1 Annaëlle Deshaye
2 Agathe Gérin
3 Rose Bernadou
4 Taïna Maka
5 Hina Ikahehegi
6 Séraphine Okemba
7 Léa Champon
8 Marie Morland
9 Pauline Bourdon Sansus
10 Lina Queyroi
11 Kelly Arbey
12 Gabrielle Vernier
13 Nassira Konde
14 Marine Ménager (captain)
15 Emilie Boulard
Replacements:
16 Élisa Riffonneau
17 Makarita Baleinadogo
18 Yllana Brosseau
19 Axelle Berthoumieu
20 Khoudedia Cissokho
21 Alexandra Chambon
22 Lina Tuy
23 Carla Neisen
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