The French women’s team enters the competition this Saturday in the Six Nations Tournament to face Ireland at Le Mans (3:15 p.m.). For this meeting, the Mignot-Ortiz duo decided to line up the young Lina Queyroi at the opening, particularly after the injury to Caroline Drouin. Queyroi (22 years old) will be associated with the experienced Pauline Bourdon Sansus at the hinge.
Trained in Tarn, Stade Toulouse player Kelly Arbey (18 years old) will honor her first selection as a starter on Saturday, alongside Les Bleues executives, such as third row Gaëlle Hermet, center Gabrielle Vernier or hooker Agathe Sochat. Aligned on the wing like the experienced Marine Ménager, Arbey, who achieved the Grand Slam in 2022 and 2023 in the Tournament with the French under-18 team, is a great hope for French rugby.
In addition to the presence of this “blue” among the Blues, the co-selectors of the XV of France Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz established the center Nassira Kondé (24 years old, Stade Bordeaux, 7 sel.), who participated in the fall last at the “WXV” in New Zealand, after being part of the French Sevens team which won silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The rest of the starting team which will take to the pitch at the Marie-Marvingt stadium in Le Mans on Saturday is classic, notably with a formidable and powerful forward pack, including a 100% Bordeaux front line.
The “cage” is occupied by Madoussou Fall, who was greatly missed by the Bleues last year, and by captain Manae Feleu, while in the third row are lined up Hermet, Romane Ménager and Charlotte Escudero.
The composition of the Bleues: Boulard – Arbey, Konde, Vernier, M. Menager – Queyroi, Bourdon Sansus – R. Menager, Hermet, Escudero – Fall, Feleu (Cap) – Khalfaoui, Sochat, Deshaye
The replacements: Riffonneau, Mwayembe, Joyeux, Zago, Gros, Chambon, Tuy, Bourgeois.
