France scrapes past Ireland to reach Women’s Rugby World Cup semifinals

By Canadian Press on September 14, 2025.

France captain Manaé Feleu spoiled Ireland’s last-chance lineout and sent her team into the Women’s Rugby World Cup semifinals in Exeter on Sunday.

France won a nail-biter 18-13 from 13-0 down at halftime in slippery conditions.

The French advanced to their eighth semifinal in their 10th World Cup but they were pushed all the way by a tenacious Irish side playing their first knockout match in 11 years.

Two last-minute penalties gave Ireland a throw-in five meters from the try-line with the French short a woman; Alexandra Chambon was in the sin-bin.

France risked throwing players up instead of bracing for a maul and Feleu, at the front, got finger-tips to the throw-in to knock on the ball but end the nerve-wracking finale.

The rain and wind that dictated the first half died away in the second and France could run the ball.

Morgane Bourgeois began the comeback with a penalty kick, and when she converted a try by No. 8 Charlotte Escudero from a tapped penalty, France trailed by only three.

They took the lead when replacement hooker Manon Bigot’s turnover in their 22 was fed to right wing Joanna Grisez, who sprinted in for her 12th try in 12 tests and fourth in the World Cup.

Another huge turnover by Bigot, a 35-year-old firefighter, gave Bourgeois a second penalty kick for 18-13 with five to go.

Sandy Park veterans predicted a 15-point wind in the rainy swirl and Ireland was on the board in the sixth minute with a Linda Djougang try from a tapped penalty.

When Djougang’s tighthead counterpart Rose Bernadou was yellow-carded for a high tackle, Ireland made the extra woman count with a try to fullback Stacey Flood, playing on a stitched right foot cut to the bone last weekend against New Zealand.

French scrambling wasn’t making it easy for Ireland, which spent 80% of the half on French turf thanks to Dannah O’Brien’s 600 meters of kicking.

O’Brien’s only successful goalkick in three attempts made it 13-0 and Ireland, knowing it didn’t appear to have enough points, desperately pushed for a third and probably decisive third try on halftime.

A rolling maul of more than 20 meters was collapsed and cost Feleu a yellow card. Then Ireland went for 35 phases, looking for the tiniest French gap, but lost possession when Aoife Wafer’s offload went to ground after 62 minutes of running time.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Foster Niumata, The Associated Press