When life becomes rugby in Saint-Denis!

For this latest episode in the Mastercard saga, it seemed obvious to go and get involved in the heart of the action, in the Holy of Holies, on the stage of the competition’s biggest matches, the Stade de France, to go and meet fans from all over the world.

On this day in the match against Ireland, Pierre-Antoine Damicour will face the “Green Army”, the green tide, which has invaded the vicinity of the Dionysian Stadium. He wants to understand what makes rugby fans tick, and what makes them unique in the world of sports, and he won’t be disappointed.

“Brotherhood” is the word uttered by a kind of funny priest, which seems to be the term that best describes the idiosyncrasy of the oval ball lovers.
In this preliminary match to a decisive meeting, all nationalities (Irish, Scottish, French, South African, New Zealand…) coexist in an atmosphere characterized by peace, celebration, good nature and brotherhood at the same time. It is good, in these difficult times, to see people from all countries happy to share in great friendship and spontaneity a moment of familiarity around sport.

In Saint-Denis, rugby fans, even if they support different teams, came to share their passion for the game and the party, enjoying together a moment of celebration of their love for this very special sport, where, whatever our nationality, we are part of the same family, where we love each other much more than we hate. each other.

Pierre-Antoine wants to know what to do to be a good supporter. The first answer to this question is obvious: “Get dressed.” It only takes one look to realize that the vast majority of rugby fans are gearing up and choosing their gear to support their colours. Aside from the T-shirts bearing images of the teams, there are actual costumes thriving all over the Stade de France.
The fan’s second commandment: “Sing,” and Pierre-Antoine will be mesmerized by the different anthems being sung at the top of his voice around the Stade de France.
“Travelling” from the four corners of the Oval Planet to accompany their national team also seems to be the duty of rugby fans, and they come from everywhere: from Dublin, from Edinburgh, from Narbonne, from Limerick, from Toulouse, but also from Sydney, London or Johannesburg…
Another surprise among supporters is parity: there are few sports in which there are as many women in the audience as men. That’s the case this evening in Saint-Denis, and they are not the last when it comes to laughing, singing and pushing after their pupils. Testimony to this unique pre-match atmosphere, where women, men and fans from all countries come together to celebrate their common passion, is kissed by the French-Irish couple, who do not wear the same shirt but share the love and values ​​of rugby.

You can find all videos of Pierre-Antoine Damecour using Mastercard here and on L’Équipe social networks.