Axel May / Photo credit: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
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5:51 p.m., September 04, 2023
D-4 before the launch of the Rugby World Cup. This weekend, the XV of France moved to Rueil-Malmaison to prepare for the opening match against New Zealand. A meeting at the top that the Blues are preparing with concentration.
Friday, the XV of France will start its World Cup at home, against New Zealand. Since this weekend, the Blues have been based in Rueil-Malmaison, in the Paris suburbs. Objective: to be ready for this extraordinary encounter.
“We only think about that”
After two months of physical preparation, the Blues can put themselves in “World Cup” mode. They settled this weekend in a luxury hotel in Rueil-Malmaison which will serve as their base camp, and now only think of this opening match, this prestigious poster against the All Blacks. “We only think about that, it’s true that it’s our objective, we are focused on this match”, summarizes the experienced player Gaël Fickou.
A necessarily extraordinary match for a World Cup played at home, but the preparation promises to be classic, underlines coach Fabien Galthié.
“We haven’t changed our habits for four years, we have learned, progressed, worked together. We have gone through four years, that is to say 39 matches, this will be our 40th match. So, we will roll towards the go in a classic way in a match that is not”, details the coach.
What program for the Blues?
The Blues will train on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the composition of the team will be revealed. Thursday will take place the traditional training before the match at the Stade de France, before the kick-off of the meeting, Friday at 9:15 p.m.
And for those who are lucky enough to attend the match, be careful because the meeting could be disrupted by a strike in transport. It will therefore be necessary to make arrangements to go to the Stade de France.