France - South Africa: Les Bleues, clear winners of the showdown against the Women Boks, face Ireland in the quarter-finals

The match between France and South Africa on Sunday, September 7, was billed as the battle of the scrum, where the power of the front rows makes the difference. In this area of ​​the game, the Boks Women, well-endowed with imposing figures, was feared, having impressed so much against Italy a week ago. But in Northampton (United Kingdom), the French, diligent from the first to the last minute, clearly won the showdown (57-10), during the "final" of Group D of the Rugby World Cup. Marine Ménager and her teammates thus avoided a perilous quarter-final against the New Zealanders, the reigning world champions, and will face the Irish on September 14 (2 p.m. Paris time) in Exeter.

The players coached by Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz quickly reassured them of their ability to meet the South Africans' physical challenge. They knew what to expect since the two teams shared a training session in Marcoussis (Essonne) during the last Six Nations Tournament. The Boks, men or women, are brutal. The first impacts showed it. "Everyone is talking about the South African scrum, I would like to see people talking about the French scrum on Sunday evening," insisted Gaëlle Mignot before the match. As noted: after twenty-five minutes, her players led (19-3) thanks to two tries scored following winning scrums.

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