Lionel Gougelot / Photo credits: Alex Davidson / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP
A week before the inaugural match of the Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks are training in Arras in the North. This Thursday, in front of an admiring crowd, the New Zealand team is following in the footsteps of its ancestors.
Tick-tock, tick-tock… The inaugural match of the Rugby World Cup is fast approaching. In the meantime, fans are delighted to see the international teams training in France. In Arras, in the North, New Zealanders meet the public and take the opportunity to retrace the history of their ancestors, the veterans of the First World War.
An important duty of memory
Hundreds of people for a welcome of champions. The New Zealand anthem, in honor of the All Blacks, is sung by young people from the Arras rugby club. “It’s an incredible chance to approach them so closely. It’s weird to see them in person,” rejoices a young rugby player. Another adds with a laugh: “We are small next to them”.
A day of remembrance in a military cemetery or in the underground passages that hid New Zealand fighters who fell on French soil during the First World War. “We had an incredible day. To see the sacrifices made by so many people 100 years ago, we feel a physical connection with this land”, testifies with emotion of Sam Cane, the captain of the All Blacks.
A duty of memory hailed by Juliette, the captain of the women’s section of the Arras rugby club. “If their ancestors hadn’t been there, we might not be here today. It’s a great step they are taking today,” explains the young player. Create a unique link between France and New Zealand even if it is the Blues that the Northerners will support against the All Blacks on September 8th.