Rugby World Cup 2023. George Power, the Lions who love Lyon

“I discovered the phrase ‘kiss, kiss’, it’s a good way to greet each other, it’s nice. I also know how to say ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’, I love that word. But my favorite expression is ‘hello’.”

George Power smiled broadly as he said it in his accent. For nearly a month, the All Black 22-cap column has been discovering life at Lyon. After suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury five months ago, the New Zealand rugby player was forced to give up the World Cup as a player. But he’s still on the journey with the blacks. “My role is to work on social media for NZR+. It’s about creating content around the All Blacks: we get involved in their daily lives, we talk about the players, the fans, the cities we pass through. It’s an opportunity for me to travel to France for the World Cup even if I’m Injured.”

The man with the beard quickly became prominent in Lyon, where the All Blacks’ base camp in Gerland is located. We’ve seen him attend an OL-Le Havre match or even climb Fourvière over Vélo’v at 115kg. “It was nice but I had a bit of a hard time,” he smiles. On the other hand, getting to the top and seeing the view of ancient Lyon, a city bordered by two rivers, was incredible. We then went to the old town with all its restaurants and cafes. “What you eat here is just ‘amazing’ (he says that in French), and I love it.”

He likes to say “hello” and “kiss kiss”, doesn’t like tripe, finds frogs not bad and wants to taste dumplings: the discovery of All Black George Bower

He loved frogs, not tripe, and dreamed of dumplings

When it comes to food, what are Leon’s specialties in which this mainstay has been tested and is clearly a good eater? “I’ve tried the snails, and they weren’t too bad, and the tripe too, but it’s actually too strong for me. I’d really like to try the quenelle before I leave Lyon.”

His relationship with the French is excellent in any case. “The people are very friendly, they love rugby, and they are enthusiastic. When you talk to someone, they make an effort to speak English even if they don’t know how to express themselves well.”

On Friday, he will return with his team to the OL Stadium, which he discovered two weeks ago. “It was a great experience, despite the draw, my first football match in the stadium. The crowds, the cheers, the flame show… it’s a great place.”

Is it enough to make him want to return to Lyon to play for LOU? “I have many friends in the team, like Liam Cotman, Liam Allen and Jordan Tafoa. I really love this city. Do we ever know? »

For the sake of physical preparation, it wouldn’t be out of place if he had to climb to Fourvière…