France Rely on Resilience, History to Challenge England‘s Rugby World Cup Dominance
Auckland, New Zealand – Former France international fullback Chloe tremouliere believes Les Bleues possess the mental fortitude and tactical keys to upset heavily favored England in saturday’s Rugby world Cup semi-final. Despite England’s commanding form throughout the tournament, Tremouliere points to France’s hard-fought quarter-final victory over ireland and a history of near misses for the Red Roses as reasons for optimism.
Tremouliere emphasized that France’s comeback win against Ireland – secured after a grueling 252 tackles – demonstrated a crucial resilience. “Against Ireland, they bent but didn’t break, they fought, and it paid off,” she said, highlighting a side that maintained possession for only 35% of the match. “I hope they use that. It’s fundamental, a solid positive base.” She also reminded observers of England’s vulnerability in past World Cups, recalling their losses despite dominant pool play. “England are riding a great wave,but remember at the last World Cup in New Zealand,they were putting 40 points on everyone before losing in the final. The same thing could happen.”
France’s path to the semi-final contrasted sharply with England’s dominant 40-8 victory over Scotland. Tremouliere believes this difference in challenge could ultimately benefit les Bleues. She also expressed confidence in the team’s ability to overcome the suspensions of co-captain Manae Feleu and flanker Axelle Berthoumieu,citing the potential for players like Pauline Bourdon-Sansus and Madoussou Fall-Raclot to step up.
This semi-final represents a significant opportunity for France, who have lost all eight previous Rugby World Cup semi-final appearances, including a narrow one-point defeat to New Zealand in 2021. Tremouliere believes reaching the final would cement a place in French rugby folklore. “Of course (they can), because it’s a chance for them to make history and reach a milestone no one has reached before,” she stated.
Dismissing the narrative of English invincibility,Tremouliere urged a shift in perspective. “Everywhere you read that England are unbeatable. It depends how you look at it. Sure, they seem unbeatable, but that’s no reason to think they’ll never be beaten. Instead, the question should be: what tools do we need to beat them?” She concluded, “It’s all about how you approach the challenge – finding the keys to turn it in your favour, not the opposite.”
The semi-final between France and England will kick off at 15:30 BST.
