Top 14 final: « Rugby is not football, I have never felt insecure in a stadium »

Two hours before kick-off, scheduled for 8:45 p.m., the silhouettes stroll quietly around the still empty large shell. Calm reigns. The sun chased the downpour. Human clusters gather nicely around the bars. The roadblocks around the Stade de France continuously filter a very moderate flow of supporters. No waiting, no sign of oppression. Everything takes place in the greatest serenity, very far from the movements of the crowd and the incidents which had enamelled, around the stadium, the final of the Champions League football between Real Madrid and Liverpool a month earlier in the same place. Even the strikes announced and followed on the RER D, in particular, did not disturb the first arrivals.

“We left Castres this morning, explains Pierre, who came with his two sons Adrien and Paul. We parked in Montparnasse where we have the hotel and took line 13. There was no problem. “With their wigs, they do not go unnoticed and give a little relief to this particularly wise pre-match. “We never talk about Castres so we show up, add the three supporters with a smile. The press doesn’t like us. We are forgotten but in the end it suits us well. It’s at the end of the ball that we pay the musicians and we often win. »

Nicolas, his partner Stéphanie, and their nephew Valentin also climbed from Castres. “We took the car this morning, they specify. We had traffic jams especially on the ring road but we had room. We parked in Saint-Ouen and took the metro without any problem. This is their first time at the Stade de France. As for Jean and Valérie, who took Clara, their ten-year-old daughter, to discover the atmosphere of a Top 14 final. But they live in Montpellier. “I am from Béziers (Hérault), says the forties. With us, it’s a family tradition. We arrived yesterday. I knew there would be no problem. Rugby is not football. I have never felt unsafe in a stadium. »

Like them, Pierre, Jean-Paul, Florian, Hervé, also supporters of Montpellier, dream of a first title. « After two finals (2011 and 2018), it’s time to bring back the Shield of Brennus », they say in chorus.