women
international women
François Ratier gave a two-word answer after his France the team lost 28-14 to the New Zealand Black Ferns in their WXV Global Series opener.
In Lyon, the 54-year-old saw his side try through Pauline Bourdon Sansus and Lina Queyroi, but succumbed to tries scored by Black Ferns’ Justine McGregor, Mia Anderson, Mererangi Paul and Liana Mikaele-Tu’u.
New Zealand were simply the better team from the first to the last whistle. France lost their line-up six times and New Zealand were much better at tackling. In midfield, Hannah King and Maia Joseph played a great game.
Even so, moments of Gaelic spirit kept France in the contest whenever the Black Ferns’ defense faltered.
Asked what the difference between the two teams was, Ratier said, “Three games.”
A follow-up question immediately followed: “Just that?”
“It’s big,” he replied.
The French answer is probably not unfair. This was France’s first match since losing at the 2026 Guinness Women’s Tournament Six Nations Grand Slam that England Bordeaux.
Meanwhile, New Zealand players appeared in the Super Rugby Aupiki, the Black Ferns-Black Ferns XV match, the Laurie O’Reilly Cup against the Wallaroos and the Test against the Springbok Women at FNB Stadium.
All those match minutes allowed the Black Ferns to better prepare for the rigors of the six Tests during September and October. France, at the moment, cannot say the same.
France, of course, will have another crack at the six-time world champions. Next month, Ratier will lead his team on a three-match tour of New Zealand. It will be essential viewing.
The Europeans have not beaten the Black Ferns since 2023 at WXV 1. A week later, France lost to the Wallaroos in a hugely entertaining tournament hosted by Wellington, Dunedin and Auckland.
Since Whitney Hansen took charge of New Zealand at the start of this calendar year, the team is unbeaten. They will play now Scotland in Edinburgh before meeting England at the Allianz Stadium.
France, meanwhile, travel to Aix-en-Provence this week to take on a Wallaroos side who led the Red Roses at half-time in Salford. The week after that, they host Ratier’s former team, Canada, in La Rochelle.
After going deep and taking first charge of the world’s second-ranked team in the fall, Ratier is confident his team will progress to next weekend.
“I think it was a good start to find a rhythm – an international rhythm,” he said, “that we didn’t have in the first half. We have to fix a few things – especially in the formations – where we weren’t able to use some momentum.”
