They are still 16 to apply for a place in Jean-Aimé Toupane’s final roster for this 2023 World Cup. Valérie Garnier’s successor at the head of the French women’s team will have to make choices, but for now it’s a larger group that landed in Sydney on Sunday for the end of the preparation. What if we dive into the world of Les Bleues thanks to the insides of the FFBB? Oh, what a great idea.
Friday 9 September, 6.30 p.m., departure from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. Saturday, September 10, 6:30 a.m.? Stopover in Dubai, before arriving – FINALLY – on Sunday at 6:30 am in Sydney. We won’t calculate for you the total hours that passed between departure and arrival because we don’t understand jet lag, but one thing is certain is that the first memory of the French women’s team 2022 will therefore remain a journey of around thirty hours to cross the planet in its width. Inevitably advice on jet lag is offered by the team’s doc, the physical trainer Fabrice Serrano also adapts his first sessions. The sequel, without spoiling the episode too much? Jean-Aimé Toupane who draws a parallel with the boys (everyone can beat everyone), Marine Johannes who does a 20-meter Curry, the discreet but moving arrival of Gaby Williams or even Lisa Berkani who yoyos. The nice touch of the day? A little focus on Pauline Astier, she who shares her daily life with captain Sarah Michel but who, above all, is in Sydney “only” to serve as a training partner, and whose highlight by the cameras of Julien Bacot is therefore respectfully thought out.
Iliana Rupert will be the last to join the group, and from tomorrow Les Bleues are going into the hard part with three preparation matches scheduled once morest Japan, Team USA and Australia. The start of the competition? In exactly one week, and that will be yet another story.