The day Serge Blanco ran away from all the cameras during the 1987 World Cup
A test that has no effect or image! This is how Serge Blanco saw the French XV enter the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 in New Zealand. In their first match in the competition, the Blues take on the Scots. The French team will give everything they can on the pitch and will use their “French flair” and ingenuity to keep up with the score. Serge Blanco narrates this history-making encounter on “The Giants of Rugby”, a podcast broadcast by Europe 1 Studio.
What is the ‘French flair’ in rugby? Improvise, inspire, create…and trick too? Serge Blanco may have been a cheat during the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 in New Zealand. On the Giants of Rugby podcast, he recounts a particular episode that has gone down in history.
The Blues then play their first group match against Scotland. After 65 minutes of play, they were trailing 16 to 14. Scrum-half Pierre Berbisier was pinned to the ground by a violent collision and the referee stopped the game to remove him from the field. The Scottish players then use this break to regroup and discuss their next strategy, turning their attention to the French players. Fatal error…
“The invisible trial”
The ball is in Serge Blanco’s hands. Once his teammate is on the sidelines, Blanco hesitates to take the penalty. He addresses the referee in his best English: “Okay?” “Okay,” the latter answers. “I turned around and saw the Scottish team, all in a circle, talking to each other.” After stunning the Scots, Serge Blanco charged towards goal and fell! Chardon XV rushes after him but it’s too late: he tries between the columns, then turns…
On that day, the Scottish players were not the only ones who were surprised by Blanco’s ‘flair’. Photographers were also unable to follow the French player… The result: There is no photo (or almost no) of this test that changed the course of history, and earned it the title “The Invisible Test.” The cameras will arrive just in time to catch Serge Blanco’s dive flattening between the pillars.
With this attempt, the French rugby legend becomes a little legendary and allows his team to continue their adventure in this competition. In ‘The Giants of Rugby’, an original podcast produced by Europe 1 Studio, he, along with Serge Blanco, relives the Blues’ rise to the final of their first Rugby World Cup, facing off against legendary New Zealand players.
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