It’s a huge team from a small piece of land on the other side of the world, and the guarantee of a very big rugby match. New Zealand, three-time world champion and timeless emblem of this sport, is a dream opponent to start the dizzying quest for a World Cup at home. The XV of France has been preparing for this for 924 days now, as must be written somewhere on Fabien Galthié’s arrow of time, and in its wake an entire ecosystem. This Friday morning marks the dawn of the meeting of a lifetime for French rugby.
Let’s face it, there are risks in having to climb straight away to such a high altitude, without an acclimatization stage. The lack of oxygen, for example, the legs giving way just when things finally become concrete. But the opportunity for such a poster was too good, following the draw, for the organizers not to jump on it. “We were not obliged, but very quickly there was a consensus between all the stakeholders,” recalls the boss of France 2023, Jacques Rivoal. This match could be a final. It’s fantastic to be able to start the competition like this. »
The All Blacks facing the host country which is in the form of its life, no need to say much more to sell its competition. Never before has the opening match of a World Cup been the subject of so many requests for accreditations, with 2,000 journalists demanding one of the 600 places available for the media at the Stade de France. The launch ceremony promises to be grandiose, with a visit from the Patrouille de France, Jean Dujardin in charge of the premises, a tribute to the territories “which make up French rugby” and other surprises kept secret.
Lessons from 2007
The players were taken into confidence. One of the thousand details carefully thought out by the staff so as not to get caught up in the event and not relive the ordeal of 2007, when the Blues were liquefied against Argentina (12-17 defeat) at the Stade de France at the opening of a World Cup co-organized with Scotland and Wales.
“We are aware of a lot of things, and we have worked on our warm-up, which will be shortened,” reports Grégory Alldritt. What’s going to happen on Friday, we talk about it among ourselves, there’s no point in hiding or lying to each other. There will be pressure but we have prepared well to be able to free ourselves on the big day. » All that remains is to manage this interminable wait from getting up until the (very) late kick-off, set for 9:15 p.m. Everyone has their own way to pass the time without pacing around the hotel lobby. “Some will play cards, others will walk a little. Me, I like writing,” confides Thibaud Flament.
The journey to the stadium and the probably escorted arrival of thousands of supporters were also anticipated. During the two months of preparation, the Blues increased the crowds and even stayed at a campsite in Seignosse (Landes). “We saw a lot of children, young people, families, who asked us for photos or had a kind word,” recalls Alldritt. We didn’t wait until Friday to realize the fervor. » “They are simple guys, close to people, we see them on the outside as they really are,” says co-trainer Karim Ghezal. We were careful not to cut them off from the world. »
A few familiar faces also came to drop by training: Didier Deschamps, whose words are not the most useless when you aim to win a World Cup at home, and of course Emmanuel Macron, this week in Rueil. The President of the Republic did not need to recall the final objective, this trophy which has always eluded France despite three contested finals (1987, 1999, 2011), to engrave the solemnity of the moment. “You are the best prepared team. You will be brothers in arms who will fight until the last second, he proclaimed. The team is bigger, the nation is bigger than each of you. Make us proud and happy. »
The time for rugby to conquer new territories
Here are the Blues “invested with a mission”, their captain Antoine Dupont is aware of this. “They know that they have the capacity to bring a smile to this country,” assures the president of the French Federation (FFR), Florian Grill, not the least enthusiastic of the lot as kick-off approaches. The competition, inherited from the mandate of Bernard Laporte, is a blessing for the man who was still leader of the opposition at the beginning of June. The party must be beautiful so that the economic and image benefits flow through to the grassroots.
“They say that the France team makes a nation. I expect this World Cup to be an opportunity to show to what extent the clubs are also participating in it, Grill projects. Locally, they create an extraordinary bond. Society has long been organized around bell towers, today it is around community life and rugby clubs are places where life is good. » The country’s second sport in terms of media coverage but only 10th in terms of its number of licensees (a little over 300,000), rugby plays a big role in attracting new fans who would allow it to escape from the cultivated society, sometimes without even realizing it. realize.
This match between France and New Zealand is a bit of all that at the same time. The sporting challenge is uncertain, since it is in any case very heavy stuff that will await the Blues in the quarter-finals (Ireland or South Africa if the logic is respected), but there is this breath, this momentum, which it is appropriate to cherish starting with a success. To convince ourselves that everything will go well, we will end with this profession of faith from Fabien Galthié: “We are not carrying weight, we are very light, happy to play this match. We just want to play, have fun and love each other very much. »