Bok Women gave Six Nations teams a 'wake-up call' says French loosie
South Africa Women’s dramatic 29-24 victory over Italy has served as a timely “wake-up call” for Women’s Rugby World Cup hopefuls France, according to loose forward Charlotte Escudero.
After securing back-to-back wins against Italy and Brazil, France had not anticipated a final Pool D showdown to determine top spot.
But South Africa’s stunning result against the Azzurre has reshaped the group standings – and the mindset of the French side.
France hammered Brazil 84-5 to clinch a place in the play-offs, but South Africa’s historic win secured their first-ever quarterfinal berth and propelled them to the top of the pool with 10 points. France trails just behind on nine.
“No matter what’s at stake, our goal has always been to top the group,” France No.8 Charlotte Escudero told reporters in Northampton.
“We’ve been taking it game by game, but now that South Africa has beaten Italy – well, here we are. It’s a proper showdown. We’re really looking forward to Sunday.”
The 24-year-old added: “Our main focus has always been to finish top of the pool, so yeah, this match is important to us. But it doesn’t really add pressure – we’ve had that goal from the get-go.
“Whether it was Italy or South Africa, we knew we’d be up against strong, physical teams. We’re ready. We’re treating it just like any other match.”
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The two sides are not strangers.
In April, the Springbok Women spent a week at the French national centre in Marcoussis, sharing the training field with France and participating in joint sessions and match simulations.
“We got a good preview at Marcoussis, and we’ve watched their game against Italy in detail.
“We know them well – we’ve studied their strengths and their weaknesses.
“They really stood out, especially up front. It’s no secret – South African teams, men or women, are known for being strong in the forwards, especially at set-piece. But it was a good wake-up call.”
When asked how France plans to counter South Africa’s physical edge, Escudero pointed to smart play and wide attack.
“We’re not going to try to smash straight into them – that’s not our strength right now.
“But we’ve got other weapons, especially out wide.
“Against Brazil, we started to open up and get our attack going, and we want to keep building on that. At the same time, we’re not neglecting the set-piece.
“We want to make a big statement at scrum time. It’s going to be a key battle.”
*Additional source: World Rugby
