The French women, queens of offloading: beautiful play and risk-taking revealing decisive matches

"It's been a long time since we've had this much fun," smiled Manae Feleu after the Blues' big win against South Africa (57-10) . If the captain of the French XV enjoyed her afternoon so much, it's because she was a big part of the party. Sure, she didn't have the chance to dive into the in-goal area like seven of her teammates, but the second row often had the ball in her hands and moved it around appropriately.

Offloads, or after-touch passes for the goalkeepers of Antoine Dupont's tongue, have established themselves as the main offensive weapon of this French XV. Since the start of the World Cup, they have managed 58, or just over 19 per match. This is by far the highest total in the competition. Against the Brazilians on August 31, they even reached 24 offloads.

For comparison, Canada has made 48, New Zealand 38. And England, the huge favorites in their home World Cup, is only the eighth team in the exercise (21). So, why this French peculiarity? "We have girls who are big ball carriers and who can play this role of line breakers," says the French full-back, Émilie Boulard.

It's true that the French team has valuable spearheads, such as Madoussou Fall Raclot, Manae Feleu and Charlotte Escudero, all three of whom were very effective at gaining the advantage line and passing arms on Sunday against the South Africans. But this simple fact does not explain the difference in the number of successful offloads between France (58) and England (21), whose main quality is precisely this unparalleled physical dimension of its forward pack.

Where the philosophies of Les Bleues and Les Red Roses diverge is in the degree to which they are risk-taking. A fairly classic schism between the two neighbors, almost clichéd, but one that has been confirmed since Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz took charge of the French XV in 2023. Whereas England opts for a more direct game, with ground movement and rapid ball availability, Les Tricolores prefer to avoid this downtime.

The advantage: continue the advance as far and for as long as possible, while tightening the defense like a funnel (see below) . The disadvantage: risky passing and therefore more waste and ball losses. If this choice is assumed by the staff, the Blues are well aware that their salvation will necessarily require increased technical rigor and good judgment of situations to give or keep.

Against nations like Brazil or South Africa, loose balls weigh little compared to advancing 30 meters or more down the middle. But when it comes to challenging more robust teams, the word "risk" will take on its full meaning. "We have to be careful with these small passes when we're in defense to continue to advance strongly, to correct these small details that prevent us from solidifying our dominance," judged Mignot on Sunday. Between playing to its strengths and adapting to the opponent, the French team has always chosen the first option for three seasons. Even if it means dying with its weapons in hand.