On a night reminiscent of a fireworks display, Fabien Galthié’s team swept Japan 52-12 on Saturday, November 9, marking their triumphant return to the Stade de France, while PSG easily dispatched SCO Angers in a Ligue 1 day highlighted by the return of the historic Lyon-Saint Etienne derby, won by the Gones.
The French national team began their autumn tour in perfect fashion, crushing Japan at the Stade de France, a venue they returned to a year after their painful elimination in the quarterfinals at the 2023 World Cup. Galthié’s men offered a impeccable performance, scoring eight tries, including two doubles from Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Paul Boudehent.
This resounding victory was further enhanced by the return of captain Antoine Dupont, who spent the summer with the French Rugby Sevens team, which won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. They head into next week’s clash against New Zealand full of confidence, which will serve as the first real test of the season. The All Blacks secured a victory against Ireland (23-13), just a week after a narrow escape against England at Twickenham (24-22).
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In other matches over the weekend, the biggest upset came from Fiji, who defeated Wales 24-19, an unprecedented feat since 2007. The Islands were also the first to experience the 20-minute red card, a few hours before Scotland was defeated by South Africa (32-15).
The French football scene had been awaiting the return of one of its most historic derbies for almost three years. Olympique Lyonnais, who have won four of their last five games with a draw, continued their regional dominance over Saint-Etienne, managing to claim a 1-0 victory. Lyon now sits in fifth place in the league, while ASSE finds itself in a precarious situation in 16th place, practically in the relegation zone.
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The derby closed the eleventh day, which began on Friday with a shocking 3-1 defeat for Marseille against Auxerre, while the Olympians continue to fight at the Vélodrome. Monaco took the opportunity on Saturday to snatch second place from Marseille with a late 3-1 victory over Strasbourg.
Lille also came close to capitalizing on Marseille’s misfortunes to get on the podium, but conceded a draw in the final moments of their match against Nice on Sunday (2-2). At the top, PSG navigated their match against Angers with ease, scoring four goals in the first half to secure a comfortable 4-2 victory. Paris now boasts a six-point lead over Monaco and nine over Marseille.
Meanwhile, the Vendée Globe set sail on Sunday at 1:02 PM, with no one knowing precisely when the 40 skippers, a record number, will return. The demanding solo, non-stop round-the-world race has a record time of 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds set by Armel Le Cléac’h, which could be challenged in this edition with the increasingly efficient IMOCA boats.
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In a dramatic finale, American Coco Gauff won the WTA year-end Masters on Saturday, November 9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a tournament that brought together the eight best players of the season. After an arduous battle that lasted more than three hours (3h04), the world number three defeated the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (no. 7) in three sets (3-6, 6-4, 7-6). At just 20 years and seven months old, the winner of the 2023 US Open becomes the youngest champion of this tournament since Maria Sharapova in 2004. To secure her first title in this event, Gauff defeated the world number two and champion defender Iga Swiatek in the group stage and number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals.
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The men’s edition of the Masters has just begun in Turin, where Taylor Fritz triumphed over a struggling Daniil Medvedev (6-4, 6-3) and Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur (6-3, 6-4), who has never He has beaten him in his eight meetings. For the first time since 2001, neither Roger Federer, nor Novak Djokovic, nor Rafael Nadal are participating in this tournament, where the 2024 edition appears less competitive than its predecessors.
Finally, at the Rimi Olympic Center in Riga, which can hold less than a thousand spectators, the French team did its job, winning decisively 82-51. Following a 94-52 victory against Israel three days earlier, coach Jean-Aimé Toupane was able to continue his evaluation of the team, using twelve different players.
With four convincing victories in four games in this qualifying phase for the European Championship, the Olympic runners-up are almost guaranteed a place in June 2025. The Tricolors will regroup in February to secure their place at home against Ireland.
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2024-11-11 06:32:00