Les Irlandais étaient favoris de ce quart de finale, remporté par les Blacks 28 à 24 samedi soir au Stade de France à Paris au terme d’un match d’une intensité folle, également en tribune…
The Ireland – New Zealand match, at the Stade de France on Saturday evening, will go down in rugby history as a prime example of intensity. However, there was also a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd, consisting of 75,000 people who were mostly supporting the Irish team.
The Irish supporters were noisy as they booed the haka, drowned it out by singing their national anthem, or protested throughout the famous Maori ritual dance. It was impossible to hear the words spoken by Aaron Smith, the scrum-half, who was equipped with a paddle, as the loud commotion drowned out the New Zealand players.
?? @Bigfredstyle : « Le haka couvert par les chants des supporters irlandais ? Ça m’a beaucoup dérangé. Cela fait partie du folklore. Le haka est quelque chose de symbolique et important, il n’a pas été respecté. » pic.twitter.com/WjnDaauljq
— Les Grandes Gueules du Sport – RMC (@GGsportRMC) October 15, 2023
Un Kapa o Pango chahuté
Even though usually the audience remains silent during the haka, surprisingly, the commentators did not mention it, preferring to talk about the lively atmosphere in the stands.
The blacks had chosen the Kapa o Pango, the most warrior-like and aggressive dance of the haka. It was also a way to set the tone for the fierce match that was about to unfold.
The crazy match that was about to follow also wanted to be started with a minute of silence observed in tribute to the victims of the events in Israel and Gaza, as well as Dominique Bernard, the French teacher who was murdered on Friday in Arras. Once again, the minute of silence was disrupted and not fully respected. This is unusual among a rugby audience that also did not fully respect the kicker of the Blacks when taking penalties…
Hommage à Anthony Foley
Finally, many spectators wondered why the Irish formed an eight during the haka. It was actually a tribute to a former teammate, Anthony Foley, who usually wore the number eight jersey as a center third-row player. Nicknamed Axel, he passed away in Paris in October 2016, just before a match between Racing 92 and Munster, where he was the coach.
Les Irlandais rendent hommage régulièrement à Anthony Foley. Comme en 2016 peu après son décès. C’était un match contre les Blacks mais cette, fois, cela leur avait porté chance. Ils avaient décroché leur première victoire contre la Nouvelle-Zélande. Cette fois la meilleure équipe du monde a dû s’incliner…
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