“The winner takes it all”, “the winner takes it all”: it’s an expression of poker, a song by Abba but also the summary of England-France on Saturday (2 p.m.), which will decide the winner of the Tournament of Six Women’s Nations and Grand Slam winner. It is a very high level meeting that the more than 53,000 spectators expected at Twickenham will experience, a world record for a women’s rugby match, with an advantage to the English even if the Blue dreams of the “hold-up”.
Before this decisive Crunch, Agathe Sochat, the hooker of the Blue, did not mince words in the columns of L’Equipe. “The English do not necessarily speak badly but they put pressure through words. (…) It can disturb or irritate the first times. We just want them to shut up!” In the little game of the mental battle that is looming at Twickenham, Romane Ménager is ready: “They will be better than us at this little game, so we must not go into it too much. Of course it can be annoying, but it can also galvanize us even more.
An Englishwoman in particular is the target of the wrath of the Blues: Marlie Packer, the third line and captain of the Red Roses. “She has this annoying side, which is clearly voluntary. She tries to play with the nerves of her opponents, ”tackles Agathe Sochat. The Crunch is well and truly underway!
