“Rugby is the story of a ball with friends around and when there is no more ball, there are still friends”, said Jean-Pierre Rives, renowned player and founder of the French Barbarians. This idea is widely shared by Serge Blanco as he explains in “Les Géants du rugby”, a podcast produced by Europe 1 Studio. During the first Rugby World Cup in 1987, the XV of France had just won a semi-final against Australia at home in Sydney. A scenario in which few people believed, the Blues having not beaten the Australian team for more than 25 years.
And yet that day, Serge Blanco said: “I feel a lot of strength, a lot of energy that is released. I felt pushed by others”. Pushed by teammates with whom he has played since his debut, such as scrum half Pierre Berbizier. Also pushed by the supporters who came from all over the world to attend the final stages and who invaded the field after the final whistle. This World Cup, for Blanco, is a story that goes far beyond the limits of a rugby field: “these are human adventures, this group, after the semi-final, is an exceptional group”.
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“We made sure that these moments remain unforgettable”, explains Serge Blanco. The moments he remembers from this first World Cup in 1987 take place outside the matches. These are the Basque songs sung by the French players on the evening of their victory in the semi-finals. It’s Sunday lunch, with the Blacks the day after the defeat of the Blues in the final. These players who have lunch together, with women and children, and who forget their disputes and their differences. If dialogue is not necessary because of the language barrier, gestures and looks are enough.
His World Cup victory, Serge Blanco saw it even before the kickoff of the final. Gathered all together under the in-goal, Jacques Fouroux’s men, as united in victory as in defeat, confide in each other, sharing their daily pains. “It’s the most beautiful thing we shared in this final, even if we lost”, testifies Serge Blanco. Proud of the path he has traveled, he has no regrets about this 1987 World Cup and it is this journey, full of emotions, that he tells us about in Les Géants du rugby, an original podcast produced by Europe 1 Studio.