Quelles sont les poules pour le tournoi de Los Angeles
Dès la poussière retombée au BC Place de Vancouver, la composition des poules pour le tournoi de Los Angeles sont tombées.
Chez les filles, la France sera tête de série dans la Poule B et jouera l’Australie, leader au classement général, (qu’elle a battu en demi-finale à Vancouver mais contre qui elle avait perdu en finale au Cap et en demi-finale à Dubaï), l’Irlande et le Japon.
Chez les garçons, la France se retrouve en tête de la poule C avec les Fidji (battus en poule mais défaits en quarts au Cap, puis défaits en poule à Perth), la Grande-Bretagne (battus dans le match pour la 9e place à Dubaï) et le Canada.
Tournoi féminin
- Poule A : Nouvelle-Zélande, Fidji, Brésil, Afrique du Sud
- Poule B : France, Australie, Irlande, Japon
- Poule C : Canada, USA, Espagne, Grande-Bretagne
Tournoi masculin
- Poule A : Argentine, Irlande, Afrique du Sud, Espagne
- Poule B : Nouvelle-Zélande, USA, Samoa, Australie
- Poule C : France, Fidji, Grande-Bretagne, Canada
Le plafond de verre des Bleues
Pour les filles, la déception de Vancouver est immense avec toujours ce plafond de verre de la finale qu’elles n’arrivent pas à percer. Habituées au podium – c’est le troisième cette saison en quatre tournois – les filles de David Courteix en sont à leur deuxième médaille d’argent (après Cape Town) complétée par le bronze de Dubaï.
A Los Angeles, elles n’auront pas une poule facile entre une équipe d’Australie frustrée par ses deux derniers tournois et une équipe d’Irlande qui voudra regoûter à la victoire qu’elle avait découvert brièvement à Perth.
France 7 va devoir creuser l’écart au classement
Cinquième étape d’un circuit mondial qui en compte sept, Los Angeles est très attendu pour au moins deux raisons pour les Français.
D’abord, grâce à sa 3e place au tournoi de Vancouver, France 7 améliore sa condition dans le classement général. Certes les hommes de Jérôme Daret restent à la 7e position, mais creusent un peu plus l’écart avec la zone de relégation (6 points, +2) et n’est plus qu’à 10 points de l’Afrique du Sud à la 6e place.
Cette médaille de bronze a donné 16 points à la France en un seul tournoi (elle n’en avait gagné que 4 à Dubaï, 6 au Cap et 10 à Perth), alors que l’Afrique du Sud est en chemin inverse après avoir performé à Dubaï et avoir trébuché ensuite.
Si bien que le tournoi de Los Angeles pourrait être décisif : soit ils confirment et ils s’éloignent franchement de la menace d’une relégation, soit ils retombent dans leurs travers et seront en stresse jusqu’à Singapour.
Débuts très prometteurs d’Antoine Dupont
Ensuite, deuxième raison de suivre le tournoi de Los Angeles, ce sera le deuxième tournoi mondial auquel participe Antoine Dupont. Meilleur joueur du monde à XV, il a montré qu’il avait toutes les chances de briller à sept après avoir participer à toutes les rencontres. Remplaçant dans la phase de poule contre les Etats-Unis (3’) et les Samoa (3’), il était titulaire contre l’Australie, remplaçant en quart contre l’Irlande (3’) et en demie contre la Nouvelle-Zélande (5’), puis titulaire dans le match pour la médaille de bronze. Soit en tout et pour tout 42 minutes de rugby à sept sur trois jours.
Il a été l’auteur de trois essais qui ont été déterminants dans le parcours de France 7 (sans parler de ses passes décisives) : contre l’Australie dans le dernier match de la poule B (31-5), contre l’Irlande dans le quart de finale (12-5) et contre les Etats-Unis dans la finale de bronze (42-12).
Il a également été baptisé par un carton jaune lors de la finale de bronze, rejoignant ainsi trois autres français qui ont eu la même couleur ce week-end : Andy Timo (contre les Etats-Unis), Rayan Rebbadj et Jefferson Lee Joseph (contre l’Irlande).
Comments on RugbyPass
Thoroughly enjoyed this thanks Nick. ‘The lineout starts on the ground…’ wish I’d thought of that line when discussing Will’s place in the Wallabies.
15 Go to commentsShannon Frizell’s second year is optional is how I heard it. Given nothing has been confirmed yet it gets more and more likely he signs to return next year. Cant wait to see Finau doing more work on Internal players.
25 Go to commentsBlindside flankers should be hard hitting defenders, good lineout jumper with height, and a hard worker who hits and cleans rucks. If he can be a destructive ball carrier it’s a bonus but not a necessity. Samipeni Fineau and Cullen Grace are excellent at those core skills and my choice at blindside. Brad Shields is dismissed because he is 33 but not sure why that should be a consideration for this season. Shields too does these core roles well. Just don’t pick an 8 and shift him to 6 like the wingers on The Breakdown suggest, as if 6 and 8 are interchangeable. They are not. An 8 is first and foremost a dynamic ball carrier, not necessarily a destructive defender as a 6 should be. Devon Flanders and Akira Ioane are #8 s forced to play blindside because their teams have better options at 8 than them. Do not pick them at blindside
25 Go to commentsSaints obviously didn’t get the memo, or needed an ego boost?
1 Go to commentsReturning to the Chiefs would be another good change that could only put him into a better position to succeed in black
6 Go to commentsSimply outrageous and demonstrably false to say Finau’s tackle on Lynagh was “2 seconds late” In reality it was probably 0.5 seconds after he passed the ball. If you carry the ball at speed to within 5m of the defensive line you can expect to get tackled. Finau could have pulled out of it and not absolutely flattened him for sure, but there was going to be contact either way. He seems like a high risk selection at the moment, but there is no one else like him in NZ at the moment. His big tackles make the highlight reels but he is also a great athlete, very fast for such a big man, spent most of his days at lock so also very strong in the line out.
25 Go to commentsYes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
25 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
6 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
25 Go to comments“Reds coach Les Kiss saying later: “I think every player has the right to feel safe.” Maybe Rugby is the wrong sport for people who want to feel safe..?
25 Go to commentsNot sure what the context was, but the highlights showed one scrum against Aussie where the baby Blacks were going backwards at a pace. The pack has been the issue since 2017, so they might be in for another reality check soon. This tournament should really have been two rounds, would have learned a lot more.
1 Go to commentsPeter Lakai has a ‘lot of size’? Since when? To Kirifi maybe. I think Laidlaw clearly saw he’s too small for 6 or 8, so plonked him at 7. Has potential to be Ardies understudy in black for 7.
6 Go to commentsDalton for skipper?
16 Go to commentsOh he's ‘Irish qualified’ isn't that convenient. If Ireland get any more Kiwis (and Aussie) in their backline they might need to run out in green and black kit soon. How is the supposed best rugby system in the world in need of trawling for journeyman Kiwi players?
2 Go to commentsCallum Grace is playing well now that he's finally back in his best position. But given it was Razor who somehow thought Grace was dynamic enough to be a No8 when he's clearly not, Im not sure he’d backtrack on that. Finau is risky with his style, and there's almost no point picking Blackadder when he can’t stay on the field more than five minutes.
25 Go to commentsThe team on paper has more supposed ‘stars’ than a lot of the sides they’re losing to. They’ve got the Razor-blues and aren't playing for Penney. He should jump before he's pushed.
1 Go to commentsProof. That if you lay dramatic instrumental hip hop music over a video of a skinny pale white kid running an unopposed zig zag on a training ground filled with rookies - it’ll look next-level epic!
13 Go to commentsIf they win the challenge Cup then it will have all been worth it. If they don’t, then maybe he should go. Lots of ppl seem to think very highly of him as a coach, but maybe he would be better working under someone. Any top sides looking for forwards coaches rn?
1 Go to commentsJason Ryan knows his craft as forwards coach and I'm sure he’ll hold sway with Scott Robertson of who he feels worthy of selection…his credentials validated when he put a 7xcaps between them front row...Ethan, Samisoni and Lomax on Ellis Park…Go the AB's…
25 Go to commentsFascinating. I’m optimistic about a team coached by Schmiddy, Cron and Parling
15 Go to comments