Thirteen o’clock strikes this Sunday in Saint-Denis. From the RER stations, a crowd wisely converges on the large airy shell where the XV of France faces Scotland three hours later, during the third round of the Six Nations Tournament. On the forecourt of the Stade de France, the queues are already stretching, well before the opening of the gates. In the greatest calm. We are patient. We chat. We laugh. Flags, tricolor wigs bloom in clusters. No doubt, these Blues are popular.
“We love this team, smiles Chloé, speech therapy student, who came by car from Bayeux in Calvados with her sister Mathilde, a pharmacy student and her parents. There is a collective spirit that you don’t always find in other sports. The two sisters offered places to their parents for Christmas. “The dad follows rugby but I come for the atmosphere”, specifies Chantal, the mother. “We follow all the matches of the XV of France on TV, continues Chloé. It made me want to play it. After my studies, I intend to resume sport and start playing rugby. »
A little further, Louis has already taken the plunge. The kid from Haute-Savoie plays right pillar in the second year of U10 in Faucigny. He arrived by TGV with his father, Julien, and his forty-something friends Frédéric and Nicolas. “My idol is Damian Penaud but I also like Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack…” These are regulars. “We also supported them when things were not going so well a few years ago, underlines Julien. But what they are doing right now is really beautiful. We like what they give off, this atmosphere around them. they are human. Despite their fame, they do not take melon. »
The quartet will take the train back on Monday at 6 a.m. in the direction of the mountains. Audrey and Charles will return by RER and then by metro. Parisians in their thirties, residents of the 11th arrondissement also came very early. “We booked our places very easily, explains the computer engineer. I really believe in this team. She gives emotion and she gets results. When you come to the stadium, it’s for a set of things, but the atmosphere takes precedence over the rest. »
She’s relaxed and cheerful, for now. It will be a little louder and brighter under the fireworks, scheduled just before kick-off. And maybe electric, then, depending on the scenario of the match.