Feleu Eyes Rugby World Cup History
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Manaé Feleu has made significant progress both symbolically and physically over the past few years.
She is determined to secure a spot in the history books for France by winning the Rugby World Cup trophy, a feat that no French player has achieved before, regardless of gender.
Les Bleues have experienced disappointment at eight out of the nine women's showpiece tournaments, falling short at the semi-final stage.
Despite claiming a seventh bronze medal at the last Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2022, they are aiming for a better result in the upcoming championship.
France's victory over the Black Ferns in New Zealand last year and their strong performance in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations 2024 have boosted Feleu's confidence in their prospects as they prepare for England 2025 and their quest to finally clinch the Rugby World Cup title.
“I think we’re well placed,” she said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, we still have one year to go to polish our rugby and polish the team,” stated Feleu.
“So, the goal is to go and get that World Cup. I think all the girls on the team are ready to get to work this year to be able to give our best and show our best rugby during the World Cup next year.”
In April 2023, Feleu played for the France team in a heartbreaking Six Nations loss to England at Twickenham, with 58,498 fans in attendance.
At that time, it set a new world record for the highest number of spectators at a women's rugby event.
However, the attendance record was subsequently surpassed during the Olympic sevens tournament in Paris last month.
Feleu finds inspiration in the prospect of competing in front of an even larger audience at the Women’s RWC 2025 final.
“I’m just really excited,” she says. “I was at the Twickenham game, where there was 58,000 people and it was incredible.
“So, just knowing that maybe we might be playing in front of even more people is really exciting. And I can’t wait to see more people being excited about women’s rugby.”
The upcoming second edition of WXV is approaching, and Feleu is about to celebrate her first anniversary as the captain of France.
Feleu made her Test debut as a replacement against England in 2020 but only became a fixture in the team's second row during the 2023 Six Nations. She had only nine caps and four starts until coaches Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz put their faith in her.
The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup will begin a year from today with a curtain-raiser at Sunderland's Stadium of Light.
France will be hoping that their calm captain can lead them to unparalleled success over the next year, including the long-awaited Women's Rugby World Cup title.
JUDY ROTICH