France manager Annick Hayraud was thrilled at the way her team overcame a slow start to record a convincing victory over Ireland in the Women’s Six Nations.
The 56-15 success clinched top spot in Pool B for Les Bleues, who will now travel to England on Super Saturday as they bid to topple the defending champions and claim the title.
And after trailing 3-0 early, Hayraud was impressed at the way her side responded, particularly away in Ireland where big wins are hard to come by.
She said: “I’m really satisfied because it’s rare to come away from Donnybrook with such a convincing scoreline in your favour.
“I think we struggled to get into the game, especially in the first ten minutes, but little by little we found our feet, we managed to play at the tempo we wanted and that is pleasing. Today there are things we can be satisfied with.”
France will now turn their attentions to England, who have won the last seven meetings between the sides, albeit with a number of close calls including a last-second penalty at Twickenham in the teams’ last meeting.
Hayraud admits that the Red Roses have established themselves as the team to beat, but hopes France’s ambitious style will help them get the better of England.
She added: “Of course, we will have to move on very quickly because we know our next opponent. We know that England will be a level above.
“The aim, as ever, is to try to perform well, to put in place a game plan which is getting richer all the time, which asks a lot of us but should allowed us to close the gap and try to challenge this England team who have dominated European rugby.”
