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France set up Grand Slam decider with England after win over Wales
France sealed a 40-0 win over Wales at Cardiff Arms Park to make their final-round clash with old foes England a Grand Slam decider on home soil.
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At the end of round four, only a point separates England and France at the top of the table.
First-half tries from Annaelle Deshayes, Joanna Grisez, and Romane Menager gave the visitors a 19-0 lead at the break before Gabrielle Vernier added the bonus-point score early in the second half.
Manae Feleu scored the fifth try for the visitors in the 58th minute, and Grisez rounded off the match with her second try of the afternoon.
Anne-Cecile Ciofani was shown a yellow card in the second minute of the match for making head contact in a tackle on Gwenllian Pyrs, but France regrouped to score the opening try through prop Deshayes after a quickly taken lineout from Pauline Bourdon Sansus.
In Wales’s first real opportunity in the 22, France turned the tables to score their second as Grisez sped away solo with a stunning 95-metre interception, converted by Lina Queyroi to make the score 14-0 to Les Bleues after 17 minutes.
JOANNA GRISEZ ⚡️
L’ailière de @FranceRugby fait parler sa vitesse sur cette interception salvatrice 🤯
📺 @FranceTV#GALFRA | #SixNationsRugby pic.twitter.com/eyuSAyNPkm
— Six Nations (FR) (@SixNations_FR) April 21, 2024
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The French back row combined with flare to score their third try, as Teano Feleu picked up the ball from the back of the scrum and went running into space, with Menager alongside her in support. Feleu escaped a tackle before she released the pass to Menager, who dotted down for a well-worked score. The conversion attempt strayed wide, but France took a 19-0 lead into half-time.
Despite the scoreline at the break, Wales had held 69% possession and territory in the first half, carried 78 times to France’s 27, and made 25 tackles to France’s 97. The ruthlessness of the French defence however denied Ioan Cunningham’s side any opportunities to covert the statistics into points.
France added the bonus point in the 45th minute with a perfect pass from Bourdon Sansus setting up Vernier to dart ten metres to score under the posts, converted easily by Queyroi.
Despite Wales initially holding France up, the fifth try soon followed in the second wave of attack when captain Manae Feleu carried hard across the line, again converted by Queyroi.
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A second yellow card for France was shown in the 63rd minute, this time to prop Assia Khalfaoui for head contact.
Grisez scored the final try of the afternoon as she collected a loose pass from Wales and did the damage in the red zone. Morgane Bourgeois had the final word as she added the conversion to take their points tally up to 40.
The result means that Wales will not be able to replicate their third-place finish from the year prior in this year’s Women’s Six Nations, losing a place in 2024’s WXV 1 in the process.
France, who were already confirmed to finish in the top two before the match against Wales, will face England on 27th April in a Grand Slam decider in Bordeaux. They have already secured their space in the top level of WXV, to be played in Canada in September and October this year.
England and France, as well as the yet-to-be-confirmed third-place team in the Women’s Six Nations, will join the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series in WXV 1.
The all-important Six Nations third place, which holds both Rugby World Cup 2025 and WXV 1 (2024) qualification, will remain in the balance until the final day of the tournament.
Post-match thoughts from @FranceRugby 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XowLF5m4jm
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 21, 2024
Ireland vs Scotland looks to be the match that will decide the third place, with Scotland currently occupying the space with eight points after a historic first win in Italy, and Ireland in fifth with six points.
Italy, who will face a winless Welsh side on ‘Super Saturday’ and are currently fourth (six points) could take third place if they secure a bonus-point win against Wales, and if Ireland vs. Scotland ends in a draw without any bonus points for Scotland.
The teams who finish fourth and fifth in the Women’s Six Nations will compete in WXV 2, won last year by Scotland and held in South Africa for a second year.
The sixth-placed team at the end of the Six Nations will enter into a playoff with Spain, the winners of the Rugby Europe Championship, to determine whether they will be placed in WXV 2, or WXV 3, which was won by Ireland in 2024.
For the Six Nations teams who missed out on the RWC2025 qualification, a further six places are available at WXV for the highest-finishing teams who are yet to have secured their place.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments