A historical day for French rugby!

by Pierre Grange (level B2)

Saturday, March 8, 2025

A historical day for French rugby!

This Saturday March 8, I had the opportunity to go to DUBLIN with a group of friends to attend the rugby match of the 6 nations tournament: Ireland – France. 

But as a little warm-up to my report on my trip to Dublin, I would like to give a very brief reminder of geography and politics about Ireland.

Here is a map.

As you probably know, Ireland is divided in two. 

To simplify as much as possible: 

On the one hand, Northern Ireland (in purple) belongs to the United Kingdom with England, Scotland, Wales, and the British Isles.

The currency is the Pound sterling.

Northern Ireland is affected by Brexit.

The religion is mainly Protestant or Anglican.

Its capital is Belfast. 

On the other hand, to the south, the Republic of Ireland (in green) is part of the European Union.

Its currency is the euro.

The religion is mainly Catholic.

Its capital is Dublin. 

So, that said, this Saturday March 8, I was in DUBLIN, not in search of the ghosts of the many celebrities born in this town. 

Indeed, many famous people were born in Dublin. Here are some examples. 

Concerning literature :

 

 George Bernard Shaw                 Samuel Beckett

(both awarded the Nobel Prize of Literature)

James Joyce

 

 Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula)

 

Oscar Wilde whose colored statue is well known by the Dubliners

 

Concerning music:

 

The pop rock group U2

 

The singer Sinéad O'Connor

 

But of course, the main goal of our trip was above all to attend the rugby match of the 6 Nations Tournament: Ireland – France.

Before attending the match, we made the traditional city tour on foot, by bus or by taxi (very numerous and cheap) to have a look on the main points of interest. 

With our little free time available, it was impossible to visit all the attractions of this town.

We had to make a selection. Here are the most well-known ones. 

The Liffey and Ha’penny bridge 

The Liffey is the river that flows through the capital, Dublin.

The Liffey is crossed by a famous pedestrian bridge: Ha'Penny Bridge.

It’s the oldest pedestrian bridge in Dublin over the River Liffey.

Its nickname (Ha'penny bridge) is due to the halfpenny toll paid by all users of the bridge until 1919.

Ha'Penny Bridge is one of the most photographed spots in the city.

 

The Liffey and Ha’penny bridge

Temple Bar district

The famous Temple Bar

Temple Bar district is located in the center of Dublin.

It displays a surprising vitality, both day and night.

This district is always very crowded

It's a true Dublin postcard, with its many restaurants and pubs.

 

 The decorated facades of Temple Bar district

Guinness Storehouse 

A visit to the famous Guinness Brewery is a must. It’s one of Dublin's most popular tourist attractions.

 

Thanks to this visit, we learn a little more about the production of the Irish's favorite drink

(1 in 2 pints consumed in Ireland is a Guinness).

Cheers!

On the program for this guided tour: history of Guinnes, techniques used and of course, tasting at the Gravity Bar which offers you a 360° view of Dublin!

The Gravity Bar on the rooftop of Guinness Storehouse

Trinity college: 

It’s Ireland's oldest and most important university. It’s also one of the seven ancient universities of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Entrance toTrinity College is very selective.

A must-see: the old library.

The impressive Old Library is a kind of cathedral dedicated to books (65 m long).

The Long Room, Trinity College

Shelves filled with precious books.

Many busts watch over them

 

The Old Library holds a treasure: the Book of Kells.

It’s one of the most sumptuous illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages.

It contains the four Gospels of the New Testament.

Richly calligraphed and decorated, it was created by monks in the 9th century.

It’s an exceptional item, certainly unique in the world.

The book of Kells

 

 An example of illustration

 

After this quick warm up about Dublin and its points of interest, let’s talk a little about rugby! 

By the way, do you know that rugby is not the national sport in Ireland ?

In fact, two other sports are more popular : Gaelic football and hurling: i.e a mix between football and rugby. You can use hands and feet.

They are played in the greatest stadium in Ireland : Croke Park (82,000 seats!).

Croke Park (82,000 seats!) 

But let's get back to rugby and the Aviva Stadium, where rugby and football matches are played. 

The Aviva Stadium was built on the site of the old stadium: Landsdowne Road.

Its name comes from a close street and from the rugby and football club (Landsdowne Football Club), one of the most prestigious clubs in Ireland. 

Lansdowne Road is considered the first stadium to host an international rugby match, between Ireland and England in 1878.

This old stadium was demolished in 2007. 

This stadium had a rare feature: a railway line ran under one of its stands and spectators could feel the trains passing under their seats!

        Photo on the left : the train passed under the stands of the old stadium (until 2007)

Photo on the right : the train now passes very close to the new stadium (but no longer below).

The Aviva Stadium now replaces the old Lansdowne Road on the same site.

The stadium is shaped a bit like a wave

Why this name?

The stadium is named Aviva Stadium following a sponsorship agreement with the company AVIVA.

This is a common practice these days, particularly with insurance and telephone companies.

Examples:

Orange Vélodrome in Marseille,

Groupama Stadium in Lyon,

Allianz Arena in Munich. 

Some numbers :

Aviva Stadium has a capacity of 51,700 seats. 

It’s the third largest stadium of the Six Nations Tournament behind Twickenham Stadium (82,000 seats) and the Stade de France (80,000 seats). 

By the way, you all know that the emblem of the French national team is a rooster.

But do you know what the emblem of the Irish national team is?

The shamrock, of course!

 

FFR = Fédération Française de Rugby

IRFU = Irish Rugby Football Union

The atmosphere :

Aviva Stadium was packed.

The French supporters were really numerous.

It seems there were almost 10,000! 

No violence with the Irish. Here it’s rugby, not football… 

And a very good atmosphere thanks to the smells emanating from the food trucks, the music, the songs of supporters and of course, the show on the pitch.

French supporters are very colorful…

 

…like the Irish!

We had a particularly good seat, as we were in the front row, surrounded by Irish fans! 

Here's a short video filmed from my seat before the match started.

Click on the photo to see the video

 

Matches at AVIAVA Stadium have a special feature. 

Indeed, the pre-match protocol is very long.

Three steps must be followed: 

1/ the players' presentation to the President of the Republic of Ireland,

2/ the visiting team's anthem,

3/ the two Irish anthems. 

The players' presentation

The current president of Ireland is Michael Daniel Higgins.

He is now 84 years old and walks slowly with two canes.

But he seems very popular, as he was very applauded upon his arrival at the stadium.

While watching his TV, our president Macron must have been jealous of such popularity!

The player presentation therefore takes a long time.

The players' presentation to the president of Ireland: Michael Daniel Higgins

Why are two anthems played for Ireland? 

As you know, Ireland is an island, and it's also two nations.

But rugby has the unique feature of bringing together the two Irish nations.

This sport is played all over the island, and the national team represents both Irelands.

So, how do you represent two nations on one team?

The solution: two anthems, of course! 

Initially, only the anthem of the Republic of Ireland was played: "The Soldier's Song."

It's very patriotic and speaks of the nation's history and its struggle for independence.

However, the players from Northern Ireland felt forgotten.

A second anthem was therefore composed in 1995 to properly represent the two Irelands.

It was "Ireland's Call." 

Here are all the anthems (French and Irish) that I filmed from my seat (we were well placed in the front row).

Click on the photo to see the video

 How can you not get chills when tens of thousands of Irish supporters sing their two national anthems: "The Soldier's Song" then "Ireland's Call". It was very impressive!

The game: 

The match was indecisive for all the beginning of the first half-time.

And unfortunately, France captain Antoine Dupont was injured by an Irish player after only half an hour of play. 

 Antoine Dupont injured

But little by little the French players took over to triumph on this Irish pitch.

 

 Thomas Ramos attempts his penalty

 

Struggle in the airs!

 

What a feeling!

At the end, many Irish fans came up to congratulate us.

Well done guys! Good game! Congratulations! 

I ask the question: Do you see that in France? 

After the match, a large majority of the spectators, Irish and French together, went to downtown area to drink a Guinness either to celebrate the victory or to forget a painful defeat.

Well done FRANCE for your victory.

And thank you, Irish public, for the chills and this moment of happiness.