Latest news with #LesBleuettes

South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Hard work paid off says Roboam as France go unbeaten
After beating Italy 46-5 on Matchday 1 and Ireland 41-12 last Friday, Les Bleuettes downed England 52-39 in Caerphilly to complete a clean sweep of victories. Doubles from Faustine Piscicelli and Elina Folituu and further scores from Mailys Borak, Anaick Konyi, Zoe Jean and Julie Espinosa made sure France took the spoils in the battle between the two unbeaten sides. The results from the final day of #U6NSummerSeries action 🤩 — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 17, 2025 She said: 'We have had a really good Summer Series. We've worked incredibly hard and winning all our matches feels great. And to beat the English too, that makes me feel really good and very proud.' It was an entertaining encounter in the competition's final match, and although France had their noses in front from the 18th minute onwards, England refused to lie down. The young Red Roses scored six tries of their own through Amelia MacDougall, Grace Clifford, Lucie Sams, captain Lucy Calladine, Sophie McQueen and Zara Green. Roboam was always expecting their opponents to come at them as the two unbeaten teams competed against each other in South Wales. 'Our goal was to stick to the game plan and that's what we did,' she continued. 'The English team was a very good team and that's why we're even more proud to have won the game.' This has been the second incarnation of the Women's Summer Series, a tournament designed to give U20s players the opportunity to play more competitive rugby to help with their development. France won all three of their games in 2024 to go with this year's trio of triumphs and Roboam was grateful that her and her contemporaries had been given a platform to show what they could do. She added: 'Obviously, games like this are really important, and it gives an opportunity to players to be seen and to hopefully be able to go to the next level.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hard work paid off says captain Roboam as France go unbeaten
France captain Lou Roboam said her team's hard work had paid off after they finished the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series as the only team with a 100 per cent record. After beating Italy 46-5 on Matchday 1 and Ireland 41-12 last Friday, Les Bleuettes downed England 52-39 in Caerphilly to complete a clean sweep of victories. Doubles from Faustine Piscicelli and Elina Folituu and further scores from Mailys Borak, Anaick Konyi, Zoe Jean and Julie Espinosa made sure France took the spoils in the battle between the two unbeaten sides. She said: 'We have had a really good Summer Series. We've worked incredibly hard and winning all our matches feels great. And to beat the English too, that makes me feel really good and very proud.' It was an entertaining encounter in the competition's final match, and although France had their noses in front from the 18th minute onwards, England refused to lie down. The young Red Roses scored six tries of their own through Amelia MacDougall, Grace Clifford, Lucie Sams, captain Lucy Calladine, Sophie McQueen and Zara Green. Roboam was always expecting their opponents to come at them as the two unbeaten teams competed against each other in South Wales. 'Our goal was to stick to the game plan and that's what we did,' she continued. 'The English team was a very good team and that's why we're even more proud to have won the game.' This has been the second incarnation of the Women's Summer Series, a tournament designed to give U20s players the opportunity to play more competitive rugby to help with their development. France won all three of their games in 2024 to go with this year's trio of triumphs and Roboam was grateful that her and her contemporaries had been given a platform to show what they could do. She added: 'Obviously, games like this are really important, and it gives an opportunity to players to be seen and to hopefully be able to go to the next level.'France captain Lou Roboam said her team's hard work had paid off after they finished the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series as the only team with a 100 per cent record. After beating Italy 46-5 on Matchday 1 and Ireland 41-12 last Friday, Les Bleuettes downed England 52-39 in Caerphilly to complete a clean sweep of victories. Doubles from Faustine Piscicelli and Elina Folituu and further scores from Mailys Borak, Anaick Konyi, Zoe Jean and Julie Espinosa made sure France took the spoils in the battle between the two unbeaten sides. She said: 'We have had a really good Summer Series. We've worked incredibly hard and winning all our matches feels great. And to beat the English too, that makes me feel really good and very proud.' It was an entertaining encounter in the competition's final match, and although France had their noses in front from the 18th minute onwards, England refused to lie down. The young Red Roses scored six tries of their own through Amelia MacDougall, Grace Clifford, Lucie Sams, captain Lucy Calladine, Sophie McQueen and Zara Green. Roboam was always expecting their opponents to come at them as the two unbeaten teams competed against each other in South wales. 'Our goal was to stick to the game plan and that's what we did,' she continued. 'The English team was a very good team and that's why we're even more proud to have won the game.' This has been the second incarnation of the Women's Summer Series, a tournament designed to give U20s players the opportunity to play more competitive rugby to help with their development. France won all three of their games in 2024 to go with this year's trio of triumphs and Roboam was grateful that her and her contemporaries had been given a platform to show what they could do. She added: 'Obviously, games like this are really important, and it gives an opportunity to players to be seen and to hopefully be able to go to the next level.'

South Wales Argus
16-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Morrall gunning to end France's run with final day victory
The young Red Roses have been on the wrong side of recent results with Les Bleuettes, but have a chance to reverse that on Thursday. They take on France at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, with both sides' unbeaten status on the line. 'It is a really big thing for us this year, we have been on the wrong side of the result a lot in the past few years,' the Loughborough Lightning centre said. 'It would mean a lot to all of us, particularly as a lot of us are second years, so we are not eligible for 20s in the future. 'It is something exciting for us and something we would really really like to finish on a high. It would be awesome for a lot of us to finish that last game and get on the right side of the result and beat the French because it has been a long time coming, so hopefully we can do that. 'France are a very good side, they play some really exciting rugby, and they like to attack a lot, so looking at that, we have some good strategies and plans to hopefully defer that towards us and put us in a positive light. 'It should be a very tough game, but a very exciting game because we are really up for it. Team news 🚨 England U20 Women's head coach LJ Lewis has named her squad to face France on matchday three of the Six Nations Summer Series.#U6NSummerSeries — Red Roses (@RedRosesRugby) July 16, 2025 'But we can never put the French aside because we know they are always a strong team, they are always going to put in a big fight against us.' England defeated Scotland to get their campaign up and running in South Wales before coming from behind to beat Italy last time out. Meanwhile, France saw off le Azzurre in their opening encounter, before scoring 24 unanswered second-half points against Ireland to set up a barnstorming finish with the Red Roses. Morrall, who was born and raised in Dubai, was named Player of the Match for England in their fightback against Italy. She praised the team's bond for their comeback from 15-0 down at half-time, something which has been a focal point for the squad this year. The 20-year-old added: 'It has been one of our key focuses in camps, since the first camp, it has been one of the key pillars in our culture. 'Throughout this camp and through previous camps, we have been doing a lot of player bonds, so activities outside of rugby, where we just get together and connect. 'That has definitely grown our connections as a team this year. Everyone is so much closer than we have been in the past. 'There are also a lot of girls from the same club, so that helps with that connection. Everyone knows each other really well. 'But as a whole, it is down to the fact that we spend a lot of time outside of rugby, getting to know each other.' Discover the future of international rugby at the 2025 Women's Summer Series – where rising stars shine. Follow the action live at and on Instagram @u20sixnations.

South Wales Argus
11-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Ogier hat-trick carries France past Ireland in Summer Series
Ogier's treble, added to by tries from Cloe Correa, Alice Grandhomme, Pauline Barrat and Kalea Berroyer were enough to give France their second victory of the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series in searing heat in South Wales. Ireland gave their best showing during the first half, fighting back from 10-0 down to take a much-deserved 12-10 lead after 19 minutes thanks to scores from Hannah Clarke and Beth Buttimer. But Les Bleuettes moved through the gears in the second half, scoring four unanswered tries to ensure they maintained their 100% record. France made the perfect start, racing into the lead early on thanks to tries from Ogier and Correa's close-range effort. But Ireland didn't roll over, battling back superbly after Chloe Vauclin was yellow carded. After a sustained period of Irish pressure just short of the French try line, fly-half Caitriona Finn changed tack by delivering a delightful cross-field kick out wide, where Clarke lay in wait to score – Finn duly added the extras. As the halfway point of the first 40 minutes approached, Ireland stunned France by taking the lead with a wonderfully worked second try. Following a turnover and long kick downfield, Ireland converted a lineout into a powerful maul from which hooker Buttimer was able to cross over and put Ireland in front. The back-and-forth nature of the game meant their lead didn't last long, however. Two minutes later, France produced a clinical counter-attacking move, finished off by Grandhomme, to regain the initiative. A spirited Irish backline fought valiantly thereafter and succeeded in keeping the game to a one-score battle at half time, but Sophie Barrett's trip to the sin-bin meant they would start the second half down to 14. France made the most of their player advantage and stretched their lead to 12 points eight minutes after the break. Ogier crossed over for her second try after good work from Correa and Zoe Jean in the build-up before completing her hat-trick three minutes later, finishing skilfully down the left. France continued to apply pressure and Barrat put even more gloss on the scoreline when she glided through a gap in the Irish defence to register her side's sixth try. Berroyer rounded off the scoring when she collected Cherrezade Saiki's kick to dot down in the corner.


Powys County Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Borak: France won't rest on laurels after victory in U20 Summer Series
France's Mailys Borak said her team won't be resting on their laurels after cruising to a 46-5 win over Italy and will be looking to kick-on when they take on Ireland next. An Elina Folituu hattrick propelled Les Bleuettes to a dominant win in their 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series opener at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. Emy Baudru, Zoe Jean, Tifen Lesieu, co-captain Anna Macipe and Cherrezade Saiki also crossed for France, and while Borak had nothing but admiration for her team's efforts, the prop explained her team has the potential to be even better during their second game on July 11. 'It was a really good game for us,' said the 21-year-old. 'But we will now go away and work on a few things since we have just under a week to work on the game for Ireland. 'We will rewatch the videos again to see what we have to work on, including the small details. 'We are excited for the game coming up next, especially since it's a big game against Ireland and hopefully we'll do better.' 😎 A recap of the results from yesterday's opening games in the #U6NSummerSeries — Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2025 France started the game the stronger of the two sides and spent much of the first half camped inside the Italian 22 as they looked to assert their physical dominance. Despite the best efforts of Italy's defence, France benefitted time and again from their physicality, as well as their skill, with Folituu's treble – all scored off the back of rolling mauls – highlighting that fact. And Borak revealed taking the game to Italy early was always in the minds of her and her teammates and also praised the performances of some of the more junior members of the squad. 'It was always part of the game plan, and we just wanted to get the head start first,' she said. 'We were happy that the girls showed up, especially in the second half as well. 'I'm proud of the girls, especially since it's the first selection for some of them. 'Everything was positive and we're really happy for the win. 'We still have a lot to work on, and I still have a lot to work on personally. 'But it's the first game and we made it pretty good out there, and now we're just waiting for the next game and hopefully we'll do better in that next week.' Ireland head into the clash with France also having won their opening game of the competition, downing Wales 27-10 in a hard-fought encounter.