This Thursday, the matches of the second day of the 2023 Rugby World Cup begin with a Group A meeting between France and Uruguay in Lille. Before the eight matches of the weekend, the World Cup organization held a press conference this Wednesday in Paris to take stock of the first days and the various emerging criticisms. Problems surrounding beer, controversies over national anthems and organization of spectator flows around stadiums such as at the Vélodrome in Marseille or in Bordeaux, the organizers have provided multiple details. “Everything was not perfect,” admitted Michel Poussau, tournament director. In the first week, it’s always difficult. But we are confident to meet the challenges and find the right solutions. »
“There was no shortage of beer”
Disgruntled French, New Zealanders and Australians at the Stade de France, annoyed English and Argentinians in Marseille… Beer has been talked about a lot at the start of the World Cup. Michel Poussau, tournament director, assures us from the outset: “There was no shortage”. The problem was apparently elsewhere, as Julien Collette explains: “We understand the fans and we are working to correct that. We were confronted with a phenomenon: the intense heatwave of September. It generated two consequences. The first is that fans consumed more than usual. We had planned sufficient volumes. Except that these records have been broken. If we think of Marseille, for example: the previous record, which dated from a Top 14 semi-final, amounted to 50,000 cups consumed. We reached 80,000 cups. Far beyond records. The second consequence is that the barrels were difficult to refrigerate. We didn’t have supply problems so much as refrigeration problems. We are working intensively with the Asahi teams (the Japanese brewer which is official supplier) to improve refrigeration and service. »
“The anthems destabilized the fans”
Another black point: the interpretation of national anthems, such as La Marseillaise, confused between the children’s songs of “La melee des choruses” and the 80,000 fans present at the Stade de France. “After the first eight matches, the perception is that these anthems rather surprised and destabilized the fans and the teams,” concedes Jacques Rivoal, president of the tournament. We are concerned by this negative feedback. But the artistic quality cannot be called into question. This remains a sensitive subject and we are in the process of finalizing the reworked, simplified versions while retaining the children’s voice. These versions will no longer have the canonical songs, the polyphony will be removed and the musical aspect reaffirmed. We are in the process of proposing it to the different teams to get their feelings. »
While wanting to keep the “educational dimension”, the tournament “includes feedback”. “It didn’t work as well as we hoped,” admits Michel Poussau. “The first feedback from the Federations is positive,” assures Julien Collette. The work preserves the voices of children. They will attend matches in the stadiums as is the case today. We hope that all federations choose these recorded versions, in line with the expectations of fans and teams. » Before specifying: “The canonical version had been tested beforehand and validated by the Federations. Each version, in particular La Marseillaise, had been validated in advance by the Federations. The effect echoed by the 80,000 fans created a bit of confusion. »
“For the flows, we reacted immediately”
If the attendance was a huge success (430,000 spectators over the first 8 matches and 276,000 in the fan zones), flow management posed a problem, particularly in Marseille for Argentina-England and in Bordeaux for Ireland-Romania, last Saturday. “We faced adjustment situations,” said Jacques Rivoal. In Marseille, we were confronted with spectators who did not know the city. We deplore and apologize to fans who entered after the start of the match. It’s our responsibility. But we reacted immediately, strengthening communication and volunteers to welcome spectators. For the second match between South Africa and Scotland, we saw no problems. »
Before the start of next weekend’s matches in Nice (England-Japan and Wales-Portugal), with access to the stadium comparable to that of Bordeaux (tram from the city center), “we are working to ensure fluidity maximum public transport, depending on the place of residence of the fans,” explains Julien Collette. “From Sunday in Marseille, we intensified the experience by emails and SMS to ticket holders to allow them to react. In Nice, for example, we plan to open entertainment and refreshment bars earlier around the stadium. » The organization specifies that it has “a reserve of volunteers” that it can call upon if necessary.
Rape in Bordeaux: “We are behind the victim”
Finally, a more sordid news item overshadowed the start of the World Cup. In Bordeaux, an Irish supporter filed a complaint for rape when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men during the night from Saturday to Sunday when she was returning home. “We stand behind the victim. There are ongoing investigations. We remain very shocked,” replies Michel Poussau. On the side of Jacques Rivoal, we elaborate: “We deplore this event. We of course condemn all these attacks. It is not our responsibility. We are very sensitive to sexual or sexist attacks against fans that may occur in the stadium. We initiated a certified approach within the organizing committee. We have been exemplary on this subject, to the point that we have a communication and awareness system in our stadiums with an assistance and help service to collect testimonies if necessary. »
