Rugby World Cup: the Blues, the anthems, Chile… The tops and flops from the start of the competition


Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: VICTOR JOLY / DPPI VIA AFP
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5:52 p.m., September 11, 2023

Only 72 hours of competition and already a lot to say about this Rugby World Cup, organized in France. The major oval meeting, which opened Friday evening with the success of the Blues at the expense of the Blacks (27-13), offers for the moment a good spectacle on the meadow, but the party has sometimes been marred by a few flaws in the organization. After this first weekend of competition, here are our tops and our flops.

The Tops

The Blues assume their status

Rarely has a Rugby World Cup been able to claim to offer its spectators such an appetizer. In fact, this five-star poster between the Blues and the All Blacks even looked like a main course. And, another rare fact, the XV of France endorsed the costume of favorites against New Zealanders less formidable than usual.

Timorous for half-time, probably tense by the stakes and the decorum – a Stade de France boiling and full to bursting – Fabien Galthié’s men then let the horses loose upon returning from the locker room and offered their public a prestigious victory (27-13). Although imperfect, the copy returned still has something to satisfy and confirms that these Blues have a good head of contender for the major coronation.

Wales-Fiji: fireworks in Gironde

Certainly the most beautiful confrontation at the start of the World Cup. A poster which, on paper, did not appear at the top of the hierarchy of the weekend, between France – New Zealand, South Africa – Scotland, even England – Argentina. And yet, the two teams delivered a grandiose spectacle on the lawn of Matmut-Atlantique in Bordeaux, at the end of which the Welsh emerged victorious (32-26).

A Leek XV delivered by the final whistle while they were having all the difficulty in the world to contain the Fijian enthusiasm which resulted in two tries scored in the last five minutes. A meeting also marked by various arbitration decisions, which some consider favorable to the Welsh, and which slightly tarnish a prolific evening in the Gironde den.

Emotion, songs, passion: a successful first for Chile

A page in the history of rugby was written this Sunday under the Toulouse sun. At the Stadium, Chile played the very first World Cup match in its history. Against Japan, the Condors conceded a less dry defeat than the score might suggest (42-12). And the main thing was anyway elsewhere.

We will remember more the emotion of the players at the time of the anthem, that of the fans in the stands, largely committed to the cause of Petit Poucet of the tournament. A festive atmosphere in the stands and a completely honorable performance on the field which, however, was not enough to overcome the logically superior and more experienced Japanese.

The Flops

A Saturday evening to forget in the Marseille city

On Saturday evening, the chaos which engulfed the surroundings of the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille animated the discussions much more than the England-Argentina match (27-10) which took place there. These images of supporters crowded on the stairs located below the main entrance to the stadium caused a lot of talk. The fault, mainly, is a poor distribution of spectator flows between the two main access points.

A quack, that the supporters of theOlympique de Marseille, accustomed to the place, are not used to experimenting, but which will remain in the throat of the supporters who, for some, were only able to reach their seats 20 minutes after kick-off . This Monday, the organizing committee, however, welcomed the effectiveness of the “coercive actions” put in place to facilitate access to the stadiums.

Controversial hymns

We can easily imagine the hours of intensive rehearsal to which these 7,000 children were subjected, responsible for interpreting, within a choir, the national anthems of each team involved. But it is clear that the result does not convince public opinion. Former tennis player Julien Benneteau even pointed the finger at “the most rotten Marseillaise in history” during the opening match where the tricolor anthem, sung by a cannon choir, without music, raised some eyebrows.

A sometimes strange final result which sparked a wave of indignant comments on social networks. Some are already calling for the abandonment of this initiative and a return to a much more classic interpretation of the national anthems.

The lack of beer in the stadiums

We know that it is sometimes difficult to quench a supporter’s thirst. And some were not able to have fun this weekend. The fault is the insufficient quantities of beer to supply certain venues, notably the Stade de France, where it was not always easy to get your hands on the precious drink. Some spectators also pointed out the relative slowness of the service. Difficulties which are tending to be resolved, according to France Bleu, according to which the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux was able to be restocked between the Ireland-Romania (Saturday) and Wales-Fiji (Sunday) matches.





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