All the Blues “united for a dream”. This Friday, September 8, the 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup begins in France. A major sporting event during which our French XV, among the favorite teams, intends to thrill French supporters for almost two months.
On the occasion of the opening ceremony which will be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, the French team opens the competition. For their first match to follow this Friday evening on TF1, the French roosters face the New Zealand All-Blacks. A meeting that already promises to be epic and promises to keep millions of viewers in suspense.
But there is still a long way to go before we hope to reach the final on October 28. Before that, the French team must arrive at the top of Pool A in order to qualify for the final stages. On September 14, the French XV faces Uruguay at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Lille. September 21 against Namibia at the Vélodrome in Marseille and finally Italy on October 6 at Groupama Stadium in Lyon.
Will our Blues finish first in their group? How far will they go in the competition? For TF1 sports journalist Isabelle Ithurburu, who knows the French XV well, “he can do it. I know his players well, they deserve it. They embody important values for our children”, according to her comments for Télé 7 Jours .
After a final successful test match against Australia last August, Fabien Galthié’s rugby players trained in the training camp in Rueil-Malmaison. Lately, the French selection has suffered several disappointments. Fly-half Romain Ntamack, injured in the knee, withdrew before the World Cup. But another controversy came to taint the atmosphere within the XV of France.
Bastien Chalureau, reservist called to join the Blues selected for the World Cup, would be accused of racist attack by two former rugby players in Toulouse. Facts dating back to 2020 for which the 31-year-old athlete admitted the violence, while denying the racist acts, receiving a six-month suspended prison sentence, recalls La Dépêche. While the controversy resurfaced before the competition, the athlete justified himself on September 4 to the press.
“What I can tell you, I am not racist. I have denied it since the first day. I have refuted these accusations. I am not racist, that’s all”, reports L’Équipe according to Bastien’s words Chalureau who burst into tears during the press conference. “It doesn’t just affect me, it affects my family.”
Will the French team ignore the controversies to shine in front of spectators all over France? Will she win the cup from defending champion South Africa? Before attending the World Cup, Planet brings you the list of Fabien Galthié’s 33 players. Names, faces, positions… We take stock in our slideshow.