Les Bleues, in Pool C, will play their first match on Saturday (3:15 a.m. French time) at Eden Park, which will launch the Women's World Cup, scheduled for 2021 but postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Céline Ferer (54 caps), associated in the second line with Madoussou Fall (18 caps), has "an important place in the group, an aura", underlined coach-selector Thomas Darracq on Wednesday, announcing its composition by video. -Auckland conference.

Hermet (45 caps), usual captain of the Bleues, although again "operational" after being injured in a knee, does not appear in the group, as well as another third line, Julie Annery (26 caps), bothered by a "little muscle alert" these days.

The hooker Agathe Sochat (37 caps), traditional understudy in the captaincy of Hermet, was placed on the bench for this first match.

Joanna Grisez, who was the surprise of the list of 32 summoned by Thomas Darracq after her bronze medal obtained at the beginning of September at the Sevens Rugby World Cup in Cape Town, will be established on the wing for her first selection with the XV of France.

The first line is made up of pillars Annaëlle Deshaye (35 sels) and Clara Joyeux (32 sels) and hooker Laure Touyé (22 sels).

In the third row are Charlotte Escudero (1 cap) and the experienced Romane Ménager (50 caps) and Marjorie Mayans (48 caps), whose last match with Les Bleues dates back more than a year.

The hinge is made up of scrum half Laure Sansus (30 caps), best player of the last Six Nations Tournament, and Caroline Drouin (25 caps), at the opening.

Finally, centers Maëlle Filopon (16 caps) and Gabrielle Vernier (27 caps) will be framed on the wing by Grisez and Emilie Boulard (13 caps), while the back has been entrusted to Chloé Jacquet (10 caps). .).

Composition of the France team against South Africa: Jacquet - Grisez, Filopon, Vernier, Boulard - (o) Drouin, (m) Sansus - Mayans, R. Ménager, Escudero - Fall, Ferer (cap.) - Merry, Touyé, Deshaye

Subs: Sochat, Lindelauf, Khalfaoui, Feleu, Gros, Bourdon, Queyroi, Llorens

© 2022 AFP