at the Stade de France, Irish and South African supporters “worried about the beer” – Libération

2023-09-23 19:19:31

2023 Rugby World Cup in FrancedossierA few hours before the clash between the Springboks and the Clover fifteen, “Libération” went to interview foreign supporters to measure their satisfaction after two weeks of the Rugby World Cup in France.

It’s the story of a small ball that goes up and down and then of a police officer who is not happy. Sheepish, this South African supporter, slightly intoxicated and reddened by the sun, tells his friends that, that’s it, the police are “pissed off”. It had been a quarter of an hour that the group had been sending each other a small balloon, pints in hand and questionable precision. The third trip of the mini-leather under the military van was simple.

Whatever, let’s party. Since 3 p.m., for a match six hours later, the green jerseys of Irish and South African supporters have been flocking around the Stade de France. We take pictures, complain about the price of beer and call each other “mate”. On a sporting level, this Pool B shock looks like a final before its time. At the refreshment bar, South Africa lost to its evening opponent. “Impossible, they are too strong,” shouts Ruben, 35 years old in a month. But we’re not the last either!” He is there with his girlfriend Shelly. The couple comes from Johannesburg but now lives in London. This is where they left by car to tour French cities for the World Cup. “Bordeaux? Awesome. Toulouse too! Marseille and Paris… Nah, the people are less nice it seems.” The two thirty-somethings, Springbok tunics on their backs, arrived early because they believe that it can be difficult to enter certain stadiums in France.

“We missed the anthems and the kick-off”

The disaster of the Champions League final in Saint-Denis in May 2022 has left its mark. And they crossed borders. This Rugby World Cup serves as a dress rehearsal for the French authorities for one year of the Olympic Games, as much anticipated as they are feared. So what is it? “So far, so good,” smile Maia and Anna, 25 and 26 years old, two New Zealanders who came to support South Africa – it exists – in the middle of their French trip. These are not the most representative because they will only attend one match. Tracy and Colin, two fifty-somethings from Dublin, know that there were major problems accessing the speakers during matches in Bordeaux or Marseille. Above all, they know the Stade de France, Colin’s second favorite stadium after the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. “We came last year for the Six Nations Tournament, three hours before the match. The organization was catastrophic and we missed the anthems and the kick-off.”

If there is one thing Colin would change in Saint-Denis, it is accessibility. “The stadium is too far from the city, access by metro is not easy if you don’t plan ahead. And forget the taxi!” The Irishman understands that French security is on edge, “after the Bataclan and all that”. Moreover, he and his wife are rather reassured by the impressive police force, which is extremely visible. Impossible to take three steps without coming across an intervention platoon. And just as we are talking, a line of soldiers comes to dislodge us, up to a footbridge, in order to search all these little people who arrived before the filtering barriers were put in place. “What exactly is going on?”, Nick wonders. He also comes from Johannesburg. “But your thing is complete rubbish,” laughs the fellow South African, who finds that the French are “not the nicest in the world.” Faced with the questioning looks of the supporters, the gendarmes searched for the only English-speaking person in their ranks, without success.

“France does not realize the enthusiasm around the event”

Naturally, South Africans compare the event with the World Cup that their country organized in 2010, a shameful memory of the history of the Blues. “I feel like everything was easier,” Ruben remembers. And the beer was still much cheaper!” Access to drinks is a key issue for these supporters whose throats dry quickly. They know it: shortages were observed in different stadiums, especially the first weekend. “We are worried about the beer,” says Darrin, who came from the island of Guernsey. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that you are not ready but I have the impression that France does not realize the enthusiasm surrounding the event.