Thomas Ramos returned to the trauma of the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup lost by the French XV against South Africa.
It’s a scar that hasn’t always healed. Driven by the dream of winning the first World Cup in its history, the XV of France failed in his quest in 2023. Fabien Galthié’s men stopped in the quarter-finals, beaten to the wire by South Africa (28-29), at the Stade de France.
The Stade de France which will be the scene of the reunion between the two nations, Saturday evening, for the first match of the Blues’ autumn tour. If within the French group we refute the idea of revenge, this shock against the Springbocks will necessarily have a particular flavor for those who experienced this tragic quarter-final.
This is the case of Thomas Ramos. The Toulouse striker even sadly marked this meeting on October 15, 2023. One of his attempts to convert was blocked by Cheslin Kolbe. If the intervention should have been refused after verification by the referee, the Boks winger having left too early, it was indeed validated and was added to the long list of opportunities missed by the French that evening.
Ramos: “I saw him again a year later almost to the day”
Long haunted by this action, Thomas Ramos returned to the episode with Oués Southt. And clearly, the pain is still there. “ I saw him again a year later almost to the day, revealed the 30-year-old’s rear. And yes, you are fueled by regrets…”
“ We had the opportunities to kill the match, we gave them the first three tries… At this level, it’s expensive”concluded a still affected Ramos. Note that the latter is one of the 23 players protected by Fabien Galthié for this reunion with the South Africans. It now remains to be seen whether the Haut-Garonnais will be the starter.
