At the Stade de France,
That’s it, it’s over. We have been planning for weeks, even months, on this first match of the grandiose Rugby World Cup and we don’t really know where to start to tell about this evening at the Stade de France. Maybe because we already vibrated. Not really thanks to the opening ceremony, an exercise that was always a bit of a challenge and which was no exception to the rule: it’s very hard not to make fun. The bal musette atmosphere with accordions, men in tank tops or jackets and the baguette-sausage combo, in case we hadn’t understood that rugby was a local sport… A tribute to France, certainly, but which is not hasn’t existed for a long time.
She at least had the merit of finishing to heat up the audience with a Peña Baiona which made you want to throw yourself into a giant paquito with the spectators. It would have been tough, with the Patrouille de France passing through at the same time to pack everything up. The lucky 80,000 who were there didn’t make it that far, but they were eager to welcome the Blues during the warm-up, a few minutes later. “As soon as we left the locker room, we got slapped,” confides Melvyn Jaminet.
And when the whole stadium sang “he who does not jump is not French” just before kick-off, the players felt that things were shaking under their feet. “It was crazy,” lights up full-back Arthur Vincent, who had just sat down on the bench at that time. When you hear that, when you see that it jumps in all directions, you leave the match for two seconds and you say to yourself “wow”. We had incredible moments, and it’s important because it can change matches. »
The public will not have been too much, that’s certain, to help the Blues overthrow New Zealand. If Mark Telea’s attempt in the 2nd minute sent a chill even though the thermometer never dropped below 30°C, the encouragement quickly resumed, revived by the foot of Thomas Ramos. “The atmosphere was great,” greets the scorer of the XV of France. We’re starting to get used to the slightly crazy atmospheres here, and with the opening of a World Cup at home, we knew that the supporters would be even more present. We really enjoy hearing them during the match. »
General explosion over Jaminet’s essay
The tension, palpable in the ambient humidity, nevertheless remained hanging in the sky of Saint-Denis for a long time. The roar heard on Damian Penaud’s try, at the heart of the second half, reflected the anxiety that still lurked. Everything was much lighter afterwards. “We felt supported, it pushed us to make all these little extra efforts to stay together in defense,” describes Gabin Villière. Loud support to defend well, of course, but also to push the actions ever further in the New Zealand camp, until the general explosion, staff included, when Melvyn Jaminet planted the last banderilla in the middle of Marseillaise.
The dozen or so players from the French football team who came to see their colleagues the day after their victory against Ireland at the Parc des Princes did not miss a beat. Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Theo Hernandez, Jules Koundé, Olivier Giroud, Dayot Upamecano, Aurélien Tchouameni and Ousmane Dembélé enjoyed the show, and went to tell the heroes of the evening in the locker room after the match. “It’s nice that they came to see us,” says Thomas Ramos. In our team, there are big football fans, but I’m not sure that they watch a lot of rugby. So to see them there is great. »
The back of the Blues did not receive congratulations from Kylian Mbappé for his skill at the foot. “No, but I spoke with Olivier Giroud, he is more used to aerial duels,” he said with a laugh. Very often put under pressure by the long game at the foot of Beauden Barrett, Thomas Ramos has it is true not badly picked up on the fallout. In every sense of the word since it is him that Will Jordan reverses on the action which leads to the yellow card of the All Blacks.
Listening to the players of the French XV in the mixed zone, a good hour after the final whistle, what they experienced in any case resembles the perfect evening. There are a lot of things to review in the game, but the mission is accomplished with this big victory, and the enthusiasm that accompanies them is not about to die down. “There are points for improvement but having gone through this match and coming out victorious, it will do us good, the whole delegation,” says Fabien Galthié.
The Blues finished this evening exhausted, both physically and mentally, like Charles Ollivon who we had never seen so marked. “It was a first World Cup match, with the pressure we know, enormous intensity. We will have to recover, but with victory, it is easier,” said the third row before quickly disappearing. “It’s an ideal start but we have to stay focused,” warns Thomas Ramos. We have what it takes to do great things so we have to stay serious. » This will be the final word, before heading into the bus and reaching the Rueil-Malmaison base camp. With the well-deserved feeling of having lived up to (huge) expectations.