Par redaction.78actu
Published on Oct 16, 23 at 2:02 p.m. See my news Follow 78actu Of the hundreds of spectators present in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines), a large majority of schoolchildren or students, all convinced that the Blues were going to win take away. ©Jehan-Jacques Peyre
Several hundred spectators gathered this Sunday, October 15, 2023 on the Place du Marché Neuf in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) to watch the long-awaited quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup between France and South Africa. A large majority of schoolchildren and students, all convinced that the Blues would win.
They already saw the Blues in the final
It was so obvious to Jules, Duncan, Rodolphe and Louis, seated on the terrace waiting for the start of the match, that they already saw themselves beating the English in the semi-final and New Zealand in the final.
» We are happy to know that we are going to play the English in the semi-finals. We’re going to eat these roast beefs! I see a 50-3 like last time, they won’t understand what’s happening to them! That said, who would have bet on Argentina and New Zealand qualifying for the semi-finals? “
Duncan, hyper-confident 15 minutes from the start of the match
The Montessonnaises Christelle and Noémie, also sitting on the terrace of a café, appear very confident. They say they are fans of rugby and football, but Noémie finds that the atmosphere in rugby is not at all the same as in football. » At the player level, there is a lot more fair play in rugby. The values are very different. The Blues are our favorites at heart, but also in play, they are supported by the whole country. There is a little stress, but you have to believe in it. “
Christelle sees France then beating the English, and hopes for a France-Argentina final, in the form of revenge for the Football World Cup final! “But France-New Zealand as a closing match after the opening match would not be bad either,” believes Christelle.
They believed in it until the last minute
Throughout the match, the spectators vibrated to the rhythm of the tries and the plays, singing the Marseillaise on several occasions, whistling the Springboks copiously when the replays showed questionable situations, and applauding wildly for the points scored by the Blues. They believed in it until the last minute, and the disappointment at the final whistle lived up to the hopes they had placed in their team.
Bitterness could be seen on the faces of Cyprien and Tanguy, students at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. For them, the pill is difficult to swallow. They talk about refereeing, drawing a parallel with the Blues’ previous confrontation with the Springboks in 1995, lost in highly debated conditions.
After wiping away a few tears, Julie, very fair, admits that tonight there were stronger than the Blues on the pitch, and hopes to see a great final! ©Jehan-Jacques Peyre
” It’s hard. We lose by one point, says Julie, wiping her tears. What’s hard is that they played really well, but they were stronger than us tonight, the world champions. It was our home and we wanted that one, and once again it eludes us. We won the Six Nations tournament (in 2022), we really had the team for it. Afterwards it’s sport, there will be a great semi-final and a great final, we hope! »
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“In four years, we will beat them, I am convinced”
»I think we can be disappointed with this match because we didn’t live up to our expectations, said Enaura. But it’s a great team, we are of course all disappointed, but our players were there, they were there until the end, they were determined, it was a great match, and I thank them for carrying us this far , it was a wonderful experience, and in four years, we will beat them, I am convinced. “
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