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France to tour without captain Bourdon Sansus for Black Ferns series

Women's rugby players contest a lineout, one player in green and one in red and black lifted high reaching for the ball, with spectators in the stand behind
A lineout in a Women's NPC match between Canterbury and Manawatu at Rugby Park, Christchurch, in 2013 vjpaul (wikimedia, CC BY 2.0)

France will play the Black Ferns' three-Test home series without their captain. Halfback Pauline Bourdon Sansus has been left out of head coach François Ratier's 32-player tour squad for personal reasons; RNZ reported she will be with her family.

A new captain is due to be named next week.

Bourdon Sansus isn't the only regular missing. Yllana Brosseau, Siobhan Soqeta and Charlotte Escudero are all out injured.

Ratier said: "We are heading to New Zealand with the ambition of performing well and winning matches. The squad will be somewhat reshuffled and younger, but the ambitions remain the same."

New Zealand Rugby has announced the venues and dates. The series opens on Saturday 17 October at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton. It moves to Semenoff Stadium in Whangārei on 24 October and finishes at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch on 31 October. It is the Black Ferns' last rugby of the year. NZR said New Zealand had won eight of the last 13 Tests between the two sides, and that 2026 marks 30 years since they first played each other.

Recent form favours the hosts. New Zealand beat France 28-14 in Lyon last month. But France won their other two WXV Tests, against Australia and Canada. Even without four senior players, they won't be a soft touch.

New Zealand have something to prove too. For Black Ferns coach Whitney Hansen, Hamilton is the first chance to answer England's 26-19 win at Twickenham, the only loss in her eight matches in charge.

England won it on the final play. With the scores locked at 19-all, centre Amy du Plessis threw a long pass that England's Zoe Harrison intercepted for the winning try.

"We didn't want to go down as a draw... I love that she threw that pass," Hansen said.

Captain Georgia Ponsonby said the Twickenham performance gave the team a lot of confidence going into the France series.

The Black Ferns won four of their five tour matches. The wins included 52-20 over South Africa in Johannesburg on 5 September and 66-14 over Scotland in Edinburgh. They managed it without experienced first five Ruahei Demant, who was ruled out with a calf injury before the tour began.

Hansen hasn't named her squad for the France series yet, so it isn't known whether Demant will be back for Hamilton.

Sources

  1. France without captain for three-test Black Ferns series
  2. Black Ferns set for trois-Test showdown as France returns to Aotearoa in 2026
  3. Black Ferns coach Whitney Hansen praises courage of player who threw intercepted pass
  4. Black Ferns beaten by England on last-gasp intercept
  5. Black Ferns lose 26-19 to England at Twickenham after a last-play intercept try