2023-09-09 02:48:12
Melvyn Jaminet celebrates the second French try with his teammates Damian Penaud and Paul Boudehent, during the opening match of the World Cup, at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, September 8, 2023. CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / REUTERS
They didn’t want to miss the entry into “their” competition. However, everything that might go wrong for the French XV during the first minutes of the opening match of the 2023 World Cup happened. A try conceded following two minutes of play, followed by an essential piece of the French chessboard injured ten minutes later. Despite this, and a score with its share of erasures, the French men’s rugby team won once morest New Zealand, Friday September 8, at the Stade de France (27-13).
Read also: France – New Zealand: the Blues dominate the All Blacks in the opening match
A victory with style on the scoreboard, which only imperfectly reflects the turn of the game. “We all know that we are capable of doing better, whispered the French captain, Antoine Dupont, following the match. In the end, it was an average match on our part and we gave the All Blacks almost 30 points. » With, as a bonus, the satisfaction of becoming the first team in history to inflict a defeat on the New Zealanders in the group stage of the World Cup.
After a slightly outdated opening ceremony for the World Cup – pulling hard on the France of yesteryear and accordion tunes, but managing to bring the atmosphere to a boil – the Blues were picked up straight away. Following a masterful breakthrough from center Rieko Ioane, New Zealand winger Mark Telea found himself receiving a foot pass from fullback Beauden Barrett and scored, following two minutes of play, the first World Cup test. For the French public, some of whom compared public transport to get to the stadium to a sauna, the cold shower was sudden.
“We were a little caught up in the atmosphere, even though we had prepared for it”analyzed the coach Fabien Galthié following the meeting, regretting that his troops had “gave these All Blacks some pretty easy keys” during a first period marked by “quite a bit of slag” having given the impression that their opponents were in control of the game. Humiliated a fortnight ago by South Africa (35-7) at the end of their preparation, the New Zealanders were revengeful, although deprived at the last minute of their captain Sam Cane, injured the day before in training.
A regained discipline
During a first period where the inhibited Blues pushed back the Blacks who were not necessarily more inspired – once their initial arrow was launched – the hooker and executive of the XV of France, Julien Marchand, quickly left his partners, injured in the thigh . A hard blow which did not seem to disturb the serenity of the XV of France. “We have built this trust over the years, through lived scenarios and different contexts experienced. Today, we are not panicking”, insisted Antoine Dupont. Not even following the All Blacks’ second try at the opening of the second half, an almost perfect transfer of the one at the start of the match, with, once once more, the untenable Mark Telea at the finish.
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