5 Stars to Watch: France squad for 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup

France have been drawn into Pool D, with Italy, South Africa and Brazil standing in their way to begin with. Les Bleus are comfortable favourites to top the group, with a predicted showdown on the cards with Six Nations arch-rivals England expected for the semi-finals.

This is a team that hits hard, moves fast, and plays with an edge up front. From Carla Neisen’s searing pace out wide to Pauline Bourdon Sansus orchestrating from nine, and the physical menace of Manaé Feleu leading from the second row, France’s women are a storm in motion.

Manaé Feleu is the embodiment of modern rugby power fused with cerebral precision. Born in Mâcon in 2000 but raised on the remote Futuna Islands, Feleu’s journey from Pacific paradise to the heart of French rugby reads like a cinematic script. Her parents, the only physical education teachers on the island, instilled in her a love for sport and introduced rugby as a way of life. Initially dabbling in a variety of sports, Manaé’s athletic curiosity eventually found its true calling in the second row, a position that perfectly channels her towering presence and work ethic.

After three formative years studying in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, she returned to France in 2020 to pursue medicine alongside her rugby career, an extraordinary balancing act that underscores her discipline and resilience. Her international debut against England in Grenoble in November 2020 marked the beginning of a meteoric rise. She went on to feature at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup and captained France in the 2024 Six Nations, scoring her first international try against Wales.

A co-captain for the 2025 Six Nations, Feleu is widely regarded as one of the premier locks in women’s rugby. Her combination of brute strength, smart offloads, and intelligent positioning allows France to dominate the set-piece while maintaining a fluid attacking style. Her leadership, both on and off the pitch, is palpable: she drives Les Bleues’ intensity, marshals the forwards, and serves as a conduit for strategy.

With her eye on the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Manaé Feleu is a cultural and tactical lynchpin. She exemplifies the global reach and rising standard of French women’s rugby, a testament to her roots, her rigorous training, and an unshakeable belief in what rugby can achieve. Fans can expect the second row to be a relentless engine of pace, power, and presence, a player who can alter the course of a game with a tackle, a lineout steal, or a perfectly timed surge. Feleu is the heartbeat of Les Bleues, and her story is far from finished.

Carla Neisen is rugby dynamite in human form, a blend of searing pace, pinpoint vision, and a knack for turning the unexpected into opportunity. Neisen cut her teeth in French club rugby at Blagnac but quickly made her mark on the international stage with France’s Women’s XV and Sevens squads. An Olympic silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, she brings that same high-octane energy to the 15-a-side game, where her agility, line-breaking runs, and defensive tenacity make her a dual threat in midfield and on the wing.

Neisen’s return to the French squad for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup is a story of resilience and passion. Having largely focused on Sevens in recent years, she’s reigniting her XVs career, joining Les Bleues with the experience of an Olympic final and the tactical nous of a seasoned centre. Her 21 caps may not seem extensive, but her presence commands attention: she reads opposition defenses like a chess master, and her support lines create scoring opportunities seemingly out of nowhere.

Her career has been a steady crescendo of achievement, Tokyo silver, Sevens bronze at the 2022 World Cup, and a leadership role within Les Bleues. Neisen’s ability to combine raw athleticism with strategic play is what elevates her above the pack. She’s equally at home slicing through a defensive line or tracking a winger with pinpoint timing in defense. Off the pitch, her mentorship of younger players underscores her importance to French rugby culture; she embodies professionalism, flair, and resilience in equal measure.

For France, Neisen is a player capable of turning a tense contest on its head with a sudden break, a clever offload, or a perfectly timed tackle. Expect Les Bleues’ midfield to explode with creativity and unpredictability, anchored by Neisen’s unique blend of experience, athleticism, and instinct.

Pauline Bourdon Sansus is a dynamo at nine, a player whose scrappy brilliance and tactical intelligence make her one of the most compelling figures in women’s rugby. Bourdon Sansus has become the engine of Les Bleues, combining lightning-quick delivery from the base with a game-reading intelligence that allows her to dictate tempo and exploit gaps in the opposition’s defensive line. She made her mark during the 2021 Rugby World Cup and has been a cornerstone of France’s attack ever since.

Bourdon’s 2024 nomination for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year attests to her elite status. While a two-match ban has delayed her 2025 World Cup start, it’s a minor footnote compared to her ability to turn a contest on its head. She’s a player who thrives under pressure, reading defenses with chess-like precision and unleashing crisp passes that allow Les Bleues’ backs to operate at maximum efficiency. Her combination of speed, agility, and vision makes her as dangerous in broken play as she is in structured attack.

Her leadership extends beyond the pitch. Bourdon Sansus is vocal, organized, and inspiring, a scrum-half who not only delivers the ball but also drives the mentality of her team. She balances aggression and composure, ensuring France can impose their attacking identity even against top-tier opposition.

At the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, expect Bourdon Sansus to orchestrate French attacks with surgical precision, turn defensive moments into scoring opportunities, and anchor a team hungry to lift the trophy. When Bourdon Sansus is in control, Les Bleues are in their most dangerous form.

Makarita Baleinadogo is the embodiment of raw, emerging talent. An uncapped powerhouse thrust into the World Cup spotlight with the weight of expectation and the thrill of opportunity. Born in Fiji in 2002, daughter of former international Daniele Baleinadogo, she moved to France at eight and developed her rugby instincts across multiple clubs, ultimately shining at Stade Bordelais. Her 2025 Élite 1 title with the club marked her as one of the French domestic scene’s breakout stars.

Baleinadogo is a late addition to France's World Cup squad, after prop Ambre Mwayembe withdrew with an injury. Baleinadogo joins her Stade Bordelais’ team-mate Khoudedia Cissokho and Lyon’s teenage backrow Marie Morland as the other two uncapped players in a squad. Baleinadogo’s versatility is her secret weapon. Equally adept in the front row or the back row, she combines brute strength with mobility, allowing Bordelais to rotate seamlessly in tight encounters. While she’s an uncapped newcomer to the international stage, her club career demonstrates a fearless approach to contact and a remarkable ability to maintain tempo in open play. Coaches Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz clearly saw a rare talent in her adaptability and composure under pressure.

Her inclusion in the World Cup squad is a statement: France are not just relying on experience; they are investing in the future. Baleinadogo’s explosive carrie and relentless work rate provide Les Bleues with a forward capable of shifting momentum in critical moments. Expect bone-crunching tackles, surging carries, and relentless support play from a player who can quickly become a fan favourite.

Baleinadogo represents the new wave of French rugby: young, fearless, and willing to redefine her position with every game. Her story is one of legacy, potential, and audacious ambition—an uncapped player ready to leave an indelible mark on the world stage.

Marine Ménager is rugby intelligence personified, a centre whose vision, footwork, and finishing prowess have made her a stalwart of Les Bleues for nearly a decade. Born with her twin sister Romane, who also plays at Test level for France, Marine’s journey began at Lille MRCV, and by 18 she was already impressing in the top tier of French women’s rugby. A move to Montpellier in 2018 marked the start of her international ascendancy, and she has since amassed 52 caps, making her one of the squad’s most seasoned campaigners.

Ménager’s evolution from winger to centre has only enhanced her game. Her agility and line-running remain exceptional, but she now combines those skills with defensive acumen and a tactical understanding that allows her to read play several phases ahead. She has a knack for hitting gaps, timing offloads to perfection, and turning half-chances into line-breaking attacks. Her World Rugby Women’s Try of the Year in 2024 for a WXV score against Canada exemplifies her ability to perform on the biggest stage.

Co-captaining Les Bleues alongside Manaé Feleu, Ménager brings composure and strategic insight to the squad. She acts as the connective tissue between forwards and backs, orchestrating attack, reinforcing defensive structures, and mentoring younger teammates. Her presence allows France to play expansive, intelligent rugby while maintaining discipline and structure.

At the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Marine Ménager is a centre to watch: dynamic, versatile, and ruthlessly effective. She embodies experience, adaptability, and finishing brilliance, ensuring that France’s midfield will be both unpredictable and formidable.