Paris (AFP)

An achievement or nothing.

To reconquer the Six Nations Tournament, the French will have to surpass themselves on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) in London against England, two-time defending champion, a team that is no longer successful.

Seven. This is the number of consecutive defeats suffered by the Blue against the "Red Roses".

The last time, at the end of November during a test match, the players of Annick Hayraud had not gone far from a first victory since 2015 at Twickenham.

They still had the match in hand with a quarter of an hour from the end (23-10) but England had turned the situation around (25-23) by bringing in its forces, including the best player in the world 2019 Emily Scarratt , left on the bench at kick-off.

The English captain will start at the center on Saturday at the Twickenham Stoop to guide the English women who have so far strolled in a Tournament in a new and condensed format because of the health context.

Already authors of the Grand Slam in 2019 and 2020, the English have made short work of the Scottish (52-10) then the Italians (67-3).

But the French also went for a walk, successively crushing Wales (53-0) and Ireland (56-15).

Their recipe: defensive solidity and attractive play in attack (eight tries each time).

So there is hope against the world No. 1, whom they will face again in a test match next week in Villeneuve-d'Ascq and which they will also find in their group next year during of the World Cup in New Zealand.

- "Another gap" -

Paradoxically, the defeat at Twickenham (in November), even if it both hurts the head and is full of disappointment, it also allowed us to question ourselves. We are really building something with the group. We feel good, we have a group that lives really well. We feel that we are moving forward, "said hooker Agathe Sochat.

For the coach of the forwards of the French women's XV, Samuel Cherouk, there is nevertheless "still a gap" between the two teams.

"We see it in the matches they (the English) have against Italy and Scotland. They are sure of their rugby, they have perfect control of their outings and scoring areas. Today c 'is a team that masters its rugby better than us, ”explains the technician.

Professionalism is also better established in England while the French are still semi-pros.

"They have been professional for quite a while. Today, for the England team, every week of the year is alike. They are called on Monday morning, they leave on Wednesday evening. And that every week. Yes, spending three days a week together over 45 weeks is necessarily easier ", explains Cherouk.

On Saturday, the Blue will benefit from at least one almost complete team.

Only the third center line Emeline Gros (shoulder) is missing, replaced by Romane Ménager.

© 2021 AFP