After having shamed us throughout the entirety of these Seven Nations Series, the French Rugby sevens team faced South Africa in the final. And we had to wait until the last match of this competition to see the smile appear on our face. We couldn't have wished for better timing.
France reconciles us with rugby sevens
A few hours earlier, the Blues eliminated the formidable Fijians, with an unreal transformation after the siren. Enough to explode the confidence gauge of the French before facing South Africa in the final at home, and incidentally bronze medalist of the last Olympic Games. But it was Antoine Dupont's ex-teammates, and more precisely Célian Pouzelgues, who struck first by scoring the first try of the game in less than a minute. Nothing to reassure us.
But the Blitzboks do not intend to be buried at home. So the locals are quick to charge quite a lot for their hospitality; not one, but two tries scored in a row. 14-14 at the break, then very quickly 19-14 on a supersonic attempt by the Sudafs after returning from the locker room. Even if Simon Désert catches Shilton van Wyk's shorts, and is on the verge of stripping him, the South African still flattens the ball in the in-goal. This finale is starting to feel good.
While we fear that the Blues will make a comeback, like in the semi-finals against Fiji, or that they will use the confidence gained after the beating inflicted on the Blacks, it is ultimately the hosts who have the last word . On a final try, South Africa won (26-14), and left only regrets for France. The Blues finished second, and that's more than enough to rejoice. If you ever doubted that the French rugby sevens team scared us, here you have striking proof.
France
