The final 12 months have been a rollercoaster of feelings for Joanna Grisez.
Taking part in in entrance of 60,000 spectators at a house Olympic Video games in Paris adopted by the gut-wrenching disappointment of bowing out within the quarter finals, mere days after the male counterparts gained gold.
Whereas the psychological scars healed over time, the bodily ones took their place: a four-month lay-off with a knee harm then brought about Grisez to overlook a big chunk of the common 15s season too.
The Stade Bordelais winger is now again to full health and is hoping to go to a second Rugby World Cup this summer time off the again of an impactful two-match cameo on the enterprise finish of this season’s Women’s Six Nations.
“I knew that I wanted to get again into the squad and do nicely as I’ve come again from a knee harm that had saved me out of the sport for round 4 months,” Grisez tells RugbyPass.
“Fortuitously, it wasn’t my ACL however nonetheless severe sufficient to cease me for an prolonged time, so it wasn’t nothing. So, there was somewhat little bit of stress to indicate what I may do.
“That stated, I didn’t essentially consider these matches as ones the place I used to be below a variety of stress however clearly in a World Cup yr, you might want to be displaying what you’re able to and attempt to put in sturdy performances.”
Grisez was a central a part of France’s final World Cup marketing campaign in New Zealand, bagging a hat-trick of tries in opposition to Italy within the quarter finals and that includes within the semi-final which France misplaced out to the hosts by a single level.
The 24-year-old is aware of find out how to carry out on the massive stage and the way necessary it’s to handle the stress in opposition to the world’s finest groups.
“The World Cup is a lot extra demanding than a Six Nations, each from a psychological and bodily standpoint.
“For a begin, it’s each 4 years, so the stress is gigantic, and that you might want to carry out in any other case you won’t get one other probability.
“The matches are loads nearer collectively so bodily you might want to be on prime of your recreation, attempt to keep away from getting injured however nonetheless taking part in to the depth that the match requires.
“It’s an enormous problem however one which I completely love, and I’d like to be a part of the World Cup squad once more.”
The French aspect has been on a rollercoaster of its personal in recent times, having endured oscillating type in every of the WXV 1 tournaments and failing to get the higher of arch northern hemisphere rivals England since their final victory over the Purple Roses in 2018.
David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot’s squad have proven indicators of a resurgence, nevertheless, and a robust Six Nations marketing campaign wherein they pushed England all the way in which in quest of a primary Grand Slam in seven years is, in accordance with Grisez, proof that the crew is shifting in the fitting path.
“I believe we took a variety of confidence in our potential to alter our recreation plan and the way we attacked them,” Grisez displays.
“Sadly, the sport was in all probability misplaced in a poor 20-minute interval within the first half; we weren’t correct sufficient, we dropped a variety of passes, they usually had been simply higher than us, which was actually disappointing.
“I believe that’s what value us the sport, as a result of we allow them to rating three or 4 tries with out reply, and we couldn’t do something. That stated, the way in which we managed to get again into the sport, by opening up the assault and taking part in to our strengths gave us a variety of perception that we may really do it and win the sport. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
“We will take a variety of positives from the sport although, that we had been in a position to play that method, we had been in a position to transfer them and put them below stress and it offers us a variety of confidence that if we will play like that once more, we now have the flexibility to problem the highest groups.”
Having struggled to place away Italy of their penultimate match of the match, few would have given France a lot hope of halting England’s runaway Grand Slam practice in entrance of 37,573 supporters at Twickenham and a whirlwind 20-minute spell within the first half wherein the hosts constructed a 31-7 lead appeared to recommend one-way visitors.
Whether or not it was a tactical swap, Pauline Bourdon-Sansus’s attempt in opposition to the run of play on the finish of the primary half, or a mixture of each, Les Bleues displayed a much more attacking-orientated, expansive recreation within the second interval, taking part in to the strengths of Grisez and fellow winger Kelly Arbey.
Certainly, the dearth of stress and freedom to specific themselves in assault is, in accordance with Grisez, precisely the type of response wanted from a crew that’s starting to embrace its ‘underdog’ tag.
“There’s much less expectation on this group on the whole, we’re sort of the underdogs it needs to be stated,” admits Grisez.
“We can’t escape this actuality for the time being; England and New Zealand are in all probability the massive favourites, and we’re a bit behind proper now. So, the stress shouldn’t be actually on us, which might have a constructive affect on the squad; we will simply do our jobs nicely, keep on with our recreation plans and see how we go.”
They might not have been in a position to entrance up at dwelling in opposition to the world’s prime ranked aspect, however the type information says France are closest to beating the highest groups when on the street. Previous to their slim defeat in April, France fell 5 factors quick in 2023 and 4 quick in 2021 on the Twickenham Stoop.
Through the WXV1 tournament in 2023, in addition they shocked the hosts New Zealand in spherical one.
So, does taking part in away from dwelling make the possibilities of a World Cup upset extra possible? Grisez gained’t be drawn on that topic however realises that, with the stress on hosts England and joint-favourites New Zealand, nothing is about in stone but.
“I’ve all the time thought that it’s generally simpler for me to play away from dwelling, the place maybe the stress isn’t as large as it might be taking part in in France for instance.
“The entire squad, as a bunch, know the way sturdy we might be so sure this has given us a way of optimism, however we all know that England remains to be the perfect crew on the planet and we must be at our greatest to have the ability to beat them, this isn’t a secret.
“They’re the reference, they usually would be the favourites for the World Cup at dwelling however having extra probabilities to take the combat to them is an enormous profit for us.
“So, for us to compete with them till the very finish within the Six Nations, solely shedding by a degree exhibits the progress that we now have made within the current years and that nothing is a given within the girls’s recreation.”
