On Saturday, England’s women’s rugby team will be taking on a monumental challenge. They are preparing to face France in the Grand Slam decider of the Women’s Six Nations Championship. This year’s final will be held at incredibly beautiful Twickenham Stadium, London’s world-renowned rugby venue. France is coming into this match undefeated in this year’s tournament. They beat Italy 34-21 and now hope to build on their current winning run with victory over England, the last side they defeated in the Six Nations four years ago in 2018.
The French team lays claim to maybe the most talented individual player in the tournament. Among them is young scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus, who has a talent for producing match-winning moments from anywhere on the field. Bourdon’s skills will be crucial in executing France’s strategy against England’s formidable defense. Fly-half Carla Arbez has been the orchestrator of Les Bleues’ attacking gameplan. She’s joint-second for kicks in open play across the entire championship.
In all three of their last wins, France went wisely with a 6-2 bench split. This key long game strategy allowed them to keep their pack HIGH IMPACT and HIGH ENERGY through the full 80 minutes. This move increases their physical match against English rugby’s great white sharks, the famous, mighty English front row. We all know that pack has historically been the bedrock of English success.
The French scrum features exciting workers like number eight Teani Feleu and locks Madoussou Fall and Manae Feleu. Each of them, by virtue of their carrying ability on the field, have proven themselves as game changers. Combined, Fall and Feleu have each made five offloads, demonstrating their elusiveness in keeping the ball alive and finding space. Our jumpers spot on Manae Feleu has done wonders at the line-out this campaign. Her overall two line-out steals have her in joint third place overall, right behind England’s own locks Abbie Ward and Rosie Galligan.
Teani Feleu is joint-second in this year’s Six Nations for turnovers, with four. That’s the best indicator of just how serious a threat France is at the breakdown. These statistics highlight France’s capacity to disrupt England’s flow, particularly during set-pieces, where they aim to challenge England’s line-out and maul—a critical aspect of England’s strategy that propelled them to the World Cup final in 2022.
Moreover, France’s wing Joanna Grisez demonstrated her pace and finishing skills during their match against Italy, scoring the opening try and contributing significantly to their victory. Similar to the wingers, with such dangerous pace on the wings, France will counterattack and will focus on finding weaknesses in England’s backline.
England’s head coach, Simon Middleton, acknowledged the challenges posed by France’s improved tactical approach. He was clear that his team needed to keep their eyes on the prize—personal goals and not just looking at the score. Middleton remarked, “We know it’s there. We’re continually searching for that complete performance.”
While conceding that France were very good, Middleton was adamant that England could nullify them. “France are one of the few packs in the Six Nations that I think can rival what England does,” he noted. He recognized the need for his team to remain disciplined and minimize errors: “We were a little bit untidy. Our maul was far from perfect and we gave them easy escapes at times.”
Looking further forward to the match strategy, Middleton was very clear that territory should be key. “France are not going to want to get into a territory battle; they are going to want to have their territory in the 22 when they can dominate with their big carries,” he stated. This tactical emphasis means that both squads will be fighting for the initiative on the pitch.
Former England international and analyst, Emily Scarratt, backed up Middleton’s view on France’s tactical development. “France now attack differently and have a world-class scrum-half who is a threat,” she said. This broader shift in approach denotes a positive development to which England should be on high alert. The French counterattack is frenetic and fearless, looking to pounce on any defensive oversight.
With the Grand Slam decider fast approaching, both teams know that time is running out. The competitive stakes of this battle further compound to create a thrilling atmosphere. One thing is for sure, fans will experience some of the greatest artistry on the field from US and international women’s rugby talent.
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