2023-09-09 23:33:04
2023 Rugby World Cup in FrancedossierWhile delays, due to slow operation of ticket controls at the Marseille Vélodrome, complicated the arrival of troops of English fans at the stadium, the XV de la Rose, reduced to 14, has crushed (27-10) the Argentines in this flagship match of group D.
Clearly, it’s not good to be an English supporter visiting a French stadium. A year after the Stade de France fiasco during the Champions League final, where thousands of Britons were only able to access the Ile-de-France enclosure several minutes after kick-off, now several hundred spectators were again condemned to remain at the quay this Saturday evening, when referee Mathieu Raynal kicked off the Group D clash between England and Argentina. This time, the fiasco took place at the Vélodrome de Marseille, and most of the problems seemed to be at the height of the Jean-Bouin stand.
Ten minutes before the start of the hostilities, hundreds of supporters had not yet crossed the ticket control area, which preceded that of the pat-downs by the stadium security agents. After the kick-off, there were still several dozen of them having to wait as best they could next to the enclosure, while the Argentinian and English latecomers who had just passed zigzagged in all directions to be able to reach their seat as quickly as possible. possible.
“We need to review certain aspects of the organization”
In the stands at half-time, several supporters, English in particular, expressed their dismay to Liberation. “It was way, way too slow. There was an impossible queue in the steps, just before the ticket control,” says Alex Ellvers. White Rose XV jersey on the shoulders, the supporter says he had to “run at full speed” so as not to miss the start of the meeting. He still missed two minutes. “When I was finally passing, I looked behind me, and there were so many people left. At that time, we heard the anthems,” remembers the one who does not fail to make the comparison with the fiasco at the Stade de France, a little over a year earlier. “I really think we need to review certain aspects of the organization, and in particular the ticket scanning, I have the impression that this is where things went wrong.”
Same feeling for Matt and Eve, two other fans of the XV de la Rose. They were able to settle right in for the start of the match. “But we did it a lot in advance to get there on time,” says Matt. The couple estimates the waiting time at around 45 minutes between the bottom of the steps of the Jean-Bouin stand, where these access difficulties have been identified, and the ticket control area, located about ten meters after the top. steps. In other words: an eternity. “It took so long,” Eve breathes. It’s far from the first time they’ve been to a game and, in Eve’s opinion, “It was one of the worst experiences of its kind.” Matt suggests that instead of setting up the checkpoint at the top of the steps, “they should have put it down near the avenue. This way, the officers have much more space and can therefore carry out more checks”.
Let’s reassure the latecomers here: they didn’t miss much at the start, until the game was stopped immediately for several minutes following a head-to-head contact between Tom Curry and Juan Cruz Mallia . Watching the video, expulsion of the same Curry from the 3rd minute. The shock of group D, at this time, took the lead in the wing for the English supporters, who were believed to be cursed. Or so we thought. Yet in numerical superiority, the Argentines did more than stammer their rugby, unable to register the slightest point for more than an hour, after the initial penalty from Emiliano Boffelli (5th).
Dive from forward
And while we didn’t give much of their skin, Steve Borthwick’s men, reduced to 14, did more than delay the deadline. They thwarted the slightest opposing offensive, George Ford at the same time reinventing English realism: three drops almost in quick succession to break away before half-time. Similar dynamics in the second half: a swarm of forwards and incomprehensible approximations from the Argentines, punished five times by the foot of the opening half George Ford, absolutely masterful this Saturday evening (27 points). The English supporters deserved this.
Moreover, it is not the first time in this World Cup, which has only started this Friday, that fans have encountered difficulties in accessing the game. According to the team, earlier in the day of On Saturday, Romanian and Irish aficionados also experienced big problems getting back to the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux on time, this time due to problems in public transport, the sail would not have been sufficiently adapted to such influx of people.
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