Gaëlle Mignot: 'We're not hiding behind this victory'

It had been a while since the French coaching staff were seen smiling on the pitch after a match, sharing light-hearted moments with the players. The victory over USA (14-22) on Saturday, October 5, at the Langley Events Centre, brought a much-needed boost to the French team.

Since their last win against Wales during the Women's Six Nations on April 21, Les Bleues had endured a tough period, suffering three defeats in six months: twice to England and once to Canada just the week before. This win was a welcomed relief after such a challenging stretch.

“Today, our main objective has been achieved,” co-selector David Ortiz admitted with a sigh of relief. “We’ve managed to improve in areas where we faltered last week, and that’s important because it reflects the core spirit of the group. We needed to tighten up on those things. We’re satisfied, but we know there’s still a lot to work on. This is just the first step that will help us keep building.”

Co-captain Marine Ménager echoed this sentiment, adding, “We were able to focus a bit more on our individual performances, which was lacking last week. Post-match discussions are always easier after a win. We defended really well and wanted to show a different side of ourselves after last weekend.”

A little nervous at the start

However, the French side struggled to find their rhythm in the early stages of the game, showing an unusual level of nervousness. The first 15 minutes were marked by sloppy passing and several handling errors, with dropped balls disrupting their flow and preventing them from settling into their game plan.

“The little bit of nervousness was partly due to the previous weekend's performance. It had an impact on us,” admits Marine Ménager. “Maybe we needed to reassure ourselves about the start of the match, which we didn't manage to do.

“Despite those dropped balls, we wanted to stick to our DNA, which is to play and take offloads. We didn't want to cheat, just respect our mindset. I'm very proud of the group. When we're a little less confident, on the first few balls, we're more exposed to dropped balls or weaker connections than usual. This match will do us good and help us regain our self-confidence.”

The staff feel that this lack of confidence, like the frequent clumsiness, is one of the points that needs to be corrected quickly. “Overall, let's face it, it was a mixed game on a number of levels,” says David Ortiz.

“We were quite pleased with our defence and conquest. But we lacked precision in attack. It's still our DNA, our project, and everyone is part of it. We can still improve on certain details.

“We need to get our heads together, find our automatisms and finish passing these balls. We've created some opportunities to score, but now we need to finish the moves and make sure that we score more quickly.”

“Not everything is perfect yet,” continues Gaëlle Mignot. “Our kicking game is also a reflection of what we've been doing: there are times when there's a bit of slagging and things don't work. We're not hiding behind this victory. We wanted to put a smile back on our faces with victory, but today we still have a lot of work to do.”

Another example that corroborates the first observations. After a good first half in terms of discipline, Les Bleues gradually lost their way, getting into a number of errors, but without conceding a card.

“We went into the break with two errors, and that's an area we'd targeted and focused on. We wanted to play a full match with 15 players,” confirms Gaëlle Mignot.

“Indiscipline had been costing us dearly in the form of cards for a number of games, and that was something we took for granted. At one point, in the last 20 minutes, the USA girls got back into the rhythm of the match and made progress. And that lead led to errors. We need to be able to manage these key moments of the match better if we're going to be able to follow up these great performances.”

Looking ahead, the upcoming week promises excitement with the highly anticipated match against the Black Ferns.