The 2023 Rugby World Cup began in France on September 8.
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The 2023 Rugby World Cup will soon begin in France. We have compiled everything important about the maximum tournament
If four years ago typhoons scared everyone at the main tournament, now there are strikes, although even without them there are transport problems in the French capital. Thus, the day before the opening match, bus number 350 did not run from Charles de Gaulle airport, which could take you almost to the Saint-Denis stadium. As it turned out later, repair work. Many of those who arrived on game day were counting on this bus. Something was wrong with some Paris metro lines, so planning logistics literally the day before the start of the World Cup turned out to be extremely bad.
The French built the Eiffel Tower at the opening ceremony.
Photo: Maria Anderson
In the stadium itself, in general, everything was ready, but the main accreditation center did not know, for example, where to get a press kit, because the accreditations themselves were issued in the same place where volunteers or employees of various services. , and not in a separate location, as was the case in England in 2015 or in Japan in 2019. By the way, the organizers claimed that they had hired more passport control agents at airports to increase border capacity, but even the day before the Initially, some employees did not understand what the Rugby World Cup was, in either English or French. or somewhere in the fifth minute of meaningless dialogue about the purpose of the visit, even in Russian.
Heat. terrible heat
A day before the inauguration, the main fan area near the Champs-Elysees was not yet ready. It was also not ready at lunchtime on September 8. Only the official store was open and there was a huge queue outside in 36 degree heat.
Queue at the official World Cup store
Photo: Maria Anderson
On the way from the subway station to the stadium there was practically nothing: just a beer stand, where there was a huge queue, and a kiosk with souvenirs. And there was still no shade, and the only saving grace was that the sun was already setting towards the horizon.
But there were huge queues to get in and, at the same time, a rather strange search: small bags were not examined very carefully, but they were asked to display all the flags. Security said only flags of the countries of the teams playing today are allowed. They were still not allowed to enter with water bottles of 0.5 liters or more. In addition, when purchasing after a long line, water was delivered without a lid.
There were also problems with the beer: it was poured very slowly, it was constantly running out, and the kiosks did not have screens (or rather, there were, but they did not work), so going there during the game meant missing a good half of the game. half due to queues, but returning to the place with beer is not guaranteed.
But the first game already compensated for all these costs. And the following matches make you completely forget about the difficulties and talk only about rugby.
Who will win the World Cup?
Stories
Who will win the Rugby World Cup? Four main tournament favorites
Group A. France did the impossible
Despite a quick try from the New Zealanders at the start of the match, the French proved much more interesting and not only confirmed their status as favorites in the tournament, but also did the impossible: inflicted on the All Blacks their first defeat in the cluster. World Cup stage. Furthermore, this defeat also became the biggest. The French seemed much better physically prepared.
The second match of Group A ended with a quite natural victory for Italy. Uruguay is slightly above Namibia in the world rankings, so it will be interesting to see how these teams play against each other in the future.
Group B. The Irish lacked beer and entertainment
82:8 is not the result expected from a World Cup match. But the Irish are the leaders of the world rankings and came into this tournament as favorites. They have never made it past the quarter-finals before, so Romania’s defeat is quite a loud statement. Fans complained about transport problems in the city and the fact that the beer ran out very quickly, and also about the most interesting match “with a goal”: unable to withstand the heat, thirst and boredom, some abandoned the stadium before the final whistle. .
South African national team player with fans
Photo: Maria Anderson
After all the criticism from fans, the organizers in Marseille went to great lengths: for example, they served the same beer in advance. But this did not stop the beer from running out. And on the field, the defending champions allowed Scotland to earn just three points and took another step towards becoming the first four-time winners of the Webb Ellis Cup. After sunset it seemed that it was a little cooler in Marseille than in Paris, and until late at night the Prado avenue became an endless bar. But rugby fans are not football fans, so the police had no problem.
Group C. The Georgians lasted 10 minutes
On the second day, organizers learned some lessons from the opening match and recruited more volunteers to work in the subway. There were almost no lines to get in, but since the game started earlier, the sun was much hotter. The Georgians held out quite well for the first ten minutes, then conceded a lot and only with the final whistle were they able to slightly reduce the difference.
Georgia national team in the Rugby World Cup
Photo: Maria Anderson
Probably the best game of the first week. The intrigue continued until the final whistle and the Fiji team showed that they are not only good at rugby sevens.
Group D. The English won in a minority
The match took place in Marseille, where the local police still remember English football fans. This attitude, added to poor navigation, meant that not all fans were able to occupy their seats at the start of the whistle. Many did not even see the dismissal of one of the team’s leaders, Tom Curry, who will miss two games due to a red card. But being short of players for almost the entire match did not prevent the English from winning, mainly thanks to the magical leg of George Ford: six accurate free throws and three drop goals. None of the other England players won points that day.
Full stands at the Rugby World Cup
Photo: Maria Anderson
The World Cup debutants started the match well and even took the lead, but the Japanese quickly showed that it was not in vain that their country had the honor of hosting the tournament the last time. But the newcomers were nice and interesting to watch.
What will happen next in the World Cup?
The second round of the World Cup begins on September 14. Among the leaders, the Uruguayan will enter the fight, whom the French team will receive at the Lille stadium. Also of special interest are the upcoming matches between the national teams of Wales and Portugal on September 16 and England and Japan on September 17.
