Stéphane Burgatt (in Marseille), edited by Laura Laplaud / Photo credits: CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU / AFP
As the French rugby team’s match against Namibia approaches, Thursday evening at the Vélodrome stadium, Marseille is draped in blue. The Marseille city is switching from round balls to oval balls, something not easy in this land of football. This World Cup is an opportunity to help rugby grow beyond its natural boundaries. On Tuesday, the Namibian national team took over one of the city’s three rugby stadiums to introduce schoolchildren to the sport.
“I ate grass”
First catches of balls, first tackles and already my head is spinning. “I ate some grass, I tried to tackle him but I didn’t succeed,” says this young amateur. It’s not easy for those used to football to master this oval ball that bounces anyhow. “I prefer football because my father taught me it since I was very little,” says a little girl.
It doesn’t matter, whether they’re keen on rugby or not, these CM1 children are opening up to other sports, the most important according to their teacher, Manon. “We know the players of the French team, we learn the positions, they become interested in them little by little and that’s good, it opens their minds a little,” says the teacher.
The World Cup effect benefits the Marseillais Rugby Club
If the Namibians, like the hooker, Torsten van Jaarsveld, give their time, it is to help rugby grow in this land of football. “There are a lot of kids who want to play sport so why not rugby?” he questions.
Especially since football clubs are already saturated with registration requests. The World Cup effect is already benefiting the Marseillais Rugby Club led by Nicolas Mizzi. “We have never had such a good return to school! We have an increase of between 10 and 20%,” he says. According to him, the city’s three clubs currently have nearly 1,800 members.