Shock weekend for French team sport Saturday November 16 and Sunday November 17 with France-New Zealand in Rugby and Italy-France in Football. Gala posters both won by the Tricolores after pleasant encounters. Two days also marked by the coronations of Jannik Sinner at the ATP Masters and Jorge Martin in Moto GP. Clément Noël and Mikaela Shiffrin got their winter off to a perfect start in slalom, to try to be titled at the end of the season.
Rugby: the heroic XV of France against the All Blacks
The French XV showed great character to snatch a third consecutive victory against New Zealand, Saturday at the Stade de France (30-29), equaling the best series in its history against the All Blacks (established between 1994 and 1995). The New Zealanders, however, imposed a wild pace on the Blues. In barely half an hour, Fabien Galthié's men were trailing 14-3.
But the French raised their level of play a notch after the break, with courage in defense to punish the Kiwis offensively thanks to tries from Paul Boudehent (43rd) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey (50th). Fullback Romain Buros, for his first selection and his first tenure, also scored a try (32nd). Thanks to Thomas Ramos having surgery on his foot (three conversions and three 100% penalties), the French XV was able to keep a point ahead despite New Zealand pressure.
Football: the Blues recover and finish first in their group
After a disappointing draw against Israel at the Stade de France, the French team delivered a much better performance on Sunday in Italy. Victorious 3-1, the Tricolores took the opportunity to steal, by one goal, first place in the group from the Transalpins. “It’s been a long time since we had a match like that”savored Adrien Rabiot, author of a double, after the meeting at the microphone of TF1.
A success in the form of revenge against a Squadra Azzurra who came to beat the Blues at the Parc des Princes with the same score of 3-1. A great way for the French team to end a year 2024 that is not always exciting. The Blues will start 2025 with the quarter-finals of this Nations League, where they will know their opponent for the quarter-finals on Friday.
Skiing: start to the season with a bang for Clément Noël and Mikaela Shiffrin
The Vosges skier made a thunderous start. HAS Levi (Finland), Clément Noël masterfully won the first stage of the slalom World Cup on Sunday (1'53''98), ahead of the Norwegian, world champion in the specialty in 2023, Henrik Kristoffersen (+0 “80) and the Swiss Loïc Meillard (+0″95). Clément Noël thus wins his eleventh World Cup victory and the first since January 2023. He is already doing better than last season, where he reached four podiums without ever winning.
Among the women, it was the queen of the white circus, Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the first slalom of the winter in Levi, Finland, on Saturday, her 61st career. The 29-year-old American thus signs her first victory of the season and her 98th World Cup success. Having a boulevard in the absence of Petra Vhlova, Mikaela Shiffrin should cross the symbolic milestone of 100 World Cup victories in the coming weeks, while the season continues with her favorite disciplines: a new slalom on November 23 in Gurgl in Austria, then a giant and a slalom in Killington (United States) on November 30 and December 1.
Tennis: Jannik Sinner wins his first Masters
At the end of a perfect week and five matches won without losing a single set, the world number 1 gleaned his first title in the Masters tournament at home in Turin on Sunday. As at the start of the week and in the final of the US Open, Taylor Fritz could only note the domination of the Italian, who soundly beat him in two sets (6-4, 6-4 in 1h25).
A superiority marked this season by eight titles including the three main ones on hard, the surface that best suits his game. Before him, only Roger Federer (3 times) and Novak Djokovic (2) had won the Australian Open, the US Open and the Masters in the same year, since all three tournaments were played on hard courts (1997). His devastating game should still claim a few victims during the Davis Cup, the last tournament of the season.
Moto GP: first world champion title for Jorge Martin
A first title for the Spaniard Jorge Martin. The Ducati-Pramac rider finished third on the circuit of Barcelona-Catalonia on Sunday, which was enough for him to win the title at the end of the Barcelona Grand Prix, the 20th and final round of the season. Before the start, Jorge Martin, who had a 19-point lead, finally overtook the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), started in pole position and won the day, by 10 points (508 to 498).
Vice-world champion last year, the 26-year-old from Madrid dethroned the double title holder from Turin and won his first world crown in the premier category. This is the first time in MotoGP history that a rider from a satellite team has been crowned world champion. On the Tricolores side, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) ended their complicated season, without the slightest podium, by finishing 11th and 14th respectively.
