As the Rugby World Cup starts in four days, President Emmanuel Macron came to encourage the players of the XV of France on Monday. The head of state, who went to the team’s base camp in Rueil-Malmaison in the Hauts-de-Seine, asked the Blues to make the French “proud and happy”.
“You are the best prepared team in the world”: Emmanuel Macron came to encourage the players of the XV of France on Monday, asking them to make the French “proud and happy”, four days before the opening match of the 2023 World Cup rugby against New Zealand. The president went to the base camp of the team in Rueil-Malmaison in the Hauts-de-Seine and greeted one by one the players of Fabien Galthié as well as the coaching.
“You are at home, you are the best prepared team in the world, there is no doubt about it”, he told them, while defending himself from “wanting to put pressure on them” .
“You are the greatest team”
While the French will face the New Zealanders, triple winners of the competition, in the opening match on Friday at the Stade de France (9:15 p.m.), Emmanuel Macron called on them to “enter the competition with determination”. “No room for economy, give everything. You are the biggest team,” he repeated.
“We often came close” to winning the World Cup, the French having failed three times in the final, including one narrowly (8-7) against New Zealand in 2011, noted the head of state . “You will be brothers in arms who will fight until the last second (…). The team is bigger, the nation is bigger than each of you. But make us proud and happy”, he concluded. The president was then to have lunch with the XV of France, which will train at 4:30 p.m.