France's Women Rugby Team Beats Canada
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The French women's national rugby team, known as Les Bleues, has beaten Canada in an important match. Canada were the vice-champions of the last World Cup, finishing in second place. This win was France's second victory in the WXV Global Series, a major international competition for women's rugby. The team's performance has been improving steadily throughout the tournament. Marie Ibanez, who played her first ever match for France, spoke about her excitement after receiving her call-up to the national squad. She said: 'I told myself: that's it, we are here, go!' A call-up means being chosen to join a national team for the first time. After this win over Canada, France will now face a much bigger challenge. They are set to play New Zealand three times in a row. New Zealand's women's team is one of the strongest in the world, so these matches will test France's recent progress. The WXV Global Series is designed to help national teams prepare for major tournaments by giving them tough opposition. For France, beating a top team like Canada is an encouraging sign, but the coming games against New Zealand will show how far the team has really come. Fans and players alike will be watching closely to see if Les Bleues can keep up their winning form against one of rugby's most dominant nations.
Vocabulary6 words
- Les Bleues
- the nickname for the French women's national team
- vice-champions
- the team that finished second in a competition
- call-up
- being chosen to join a national team for the first time
- squad
- the group of players in a team
- opposition
- the other team you are playing against
- dominant
- very strong and often winning
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Quiz
Answer key
1. World vice-champions 2. Playing for the French national team 3. Three
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The French women's national rugby team, known as Les Bleues, has beaten _____ in an important match.
Canada were the _____ of the last World Cup, finishing in second place.
This win was France's second _____ in the WXV Global Series.
The team's performance has been _____ steadily throughout the tournament.
Marie Ibanez, who played her first ever match for France, spoke about her excitement after receiving her _____ to the national squad.
A call-up means being chosen to join a national team for the first _____.
They are set to play New Zealand three times in a _____.
New Zealand's women's team is one of the _____ in the world.
For France, beating a top team like Canada is an _____ sign.
Fans and players alike will be watching closely to see if Les Bleues can keep up their winning _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think tournaments like the WXV Global Series are important for national teams?
- How do you think it feels to play your first match for a national team, like Marie Ibanez did?
- Do you think beating a strong team like Canada shows real progress? Why or why not?
- What challenges might France face when playing New Zealand three times in a row?
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