The Passion for Rugby and Rugby World Championships in France

This year France is hosting the Rugby World Cup from the 7th of September till the 20th of October . A full six weeks of what is billed as the third biggest sports event after the football World Cup and the Olympics. 1000 players from 20 countries big and tiny from all continents are playing. We take a look at the passion for the sport and the organization of the tournament in France. Christien Pizziol-Griere has this report:

The fierce New Zealand All Blacks are the team to beat. They’re the top team in the world rugby standings and have been for ages. The French call their team les Quinze de France. They’ve been training very hard all summer at the National Rugby Centre in Marcoussis, just outside Paris. That’s where I caught up with the French Team Captain Raphael Ibanez. I asked him how it feels to be playing in this world cup:

"To be honest, I think it’s something fantastic; We know that hosting the World Cup in France could mean a lot of pressure on us, I have no doubt, there will be some pressure on the French team but as a player it’s a big event it’s something you can only have in your dreams."

For some people, a Rugby match is a brutal combat sport. There are punches and rough tackles by strong, stocky men. But those who love the sport say there are strong human values in it. There is the spirit of friendship, the teamwork, the sense of discipline, the sacrifice and courage. Raphael Ibanez, captain of the French team expresses his passion in this way:

“It’s a very very funny game, a fantastic game you can really enjoy because you need other people around to achieve your goals. You win together, you lose together and I think it’s a good lesson for life.”

Organising such a huge event is a daunting task. Etienne Thobois is the Chief of the 2007 World Cup Organising Committee. His job is managing thousands of people:

“We co-ordinate about 20,000 people, 6,000 volunteers, they’re the smile of the tournament, they’re probably the most important people, 4,000 press, 1,000 players, the suppliers, all the staff - all around it’s about 20,000 people working to make this tournament happen. It’s a 220 million budget ….We’re trying to be very ambitious in our sports presentation programme. In all the activities we bring around this World Cup. It’s not only 48 matches of rugby, it’s a festival of 45 days.”

Players from all continents means special needs for many. And Thobois’s crew has to respond:

“You get people that are above 2 meters -- you need to have special beds, special shower things, and on the other hand you have guys that are 5’2. Within the team there are different needs, cultural needs, religious needs, food things that are quite different in some aspects, so there is all kind of variety of things…we’re really in an international event.”

Global event also means fans from all over the world. Australian Tracey Close is operating manager of Rugby Town, the official village of Rugby fans right in front of the Eiffel Tower:

“It’s a place where fans from all around the world, all around Europe and from the Southern hemisphere can come to congregate here, meet other people and watch the World Cup games live, we’ve got entertainment and bars and everything happening, it’s a great place to meet up and enjoy the spirit of the rugby world cup.”

Which nationalities have you seen the most of? (Who’s been coming?)

“It’s been a real mix actually. So far quite a concentration of people from France, because the first game was France-Argentina … We’ve had a lot of people from Portugal, a lot of South Africans, because South Africa played in Paris on the second day of the tournament, We’ve got quite a few Scottish in here today, quite a lot of English and some Australians…”

So many people from so many countries? How popular is Rugby as a sport? Etienne Thobois of the organizing team says this World Cup will make the sport more popular, both in France and across the globe:

“…Every world cup has been growing bigger and bigger, and we hope that this one will be no exception. This is one of the legacies that we have to bring to the rugby world. It is important that teams like Portugal did qualify for the first time in the world cup. It just enlarged the number of nations that are interested. We can see actually that we got fans coming from all over Europe, we got fans from Sweden, from Germany, from Belgium, from Spain…57 countries altogether did buy tickets through internet to come to this World Cup, so this is showing that this has an impact.”

French economy and tourism stand to make money from this World Cup: a study by Essec a business school in Paris, shows : the 3 hundred and 50 thousand tourists coming to France will spend 1 and a half billion euros in accommodation, food and leisure activities. And what about the French? Well, they’re going to spend 2 billion euros. There are hundreds of books, magazines and sporting accessories on sale all over Paris, all linked to Rugby. The sport also is omnipresent in exhibitions, in Museums, photo shows, tattoo shops, restaurants…. No shortage of guides on how to enjoy your time before, during and after the games. And now, I’m off to catch a game on the giant tv screen at my local café-pub!

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