I can’t believe 25 years have passed since Daft Punk released One More Time, a track that has somehow refused to age. The vocals loop eternally, the synths sparkle like champagne cocktails at Annabel’s and the beat just refuses to quit. Every time it hits, it is impossible not to smile, dance and to feel like life is suddenly brilliant. It is a song that celebrates getting it right, celebrating the moment, and chasing that rush again and again.
This weekend we take on Fiji, Italy will push against South Africa, and Scotland face Argentina (yes there are some other matches, but they won’t evoke the same emotions for me…). But it is not about analysing every tackle or scrum, it’s about the rhythm, the joy, the pulse of the game syncing perfectly with the track’s ecstatic loops. Every offload, every break, every perfectly timed pass will hopefully feel like it is following the beat of that iconic track.
“One more time, we’re gonna celebrate” – fingers crossed that we will be back to our winning form in Bordeaux and Maxime Lucu, DP and LBB will impress their home crowd with some magic.
Italy will push, they will fight for every metre and every set-piece, like a DJ looping the perfect beat, keeping everyone on their toes – here’s hoping they last the full 80 minutes without tiring, because South Africa will no doubt respond with power and precision as is their way, even with most of their core team being rested after last weekend. Match days have a tension, a build up and release as the players run onto the field, all wrapped up in the same way One More Time builds and bursts into celebration.
That is why the song has lasted. It is not just a hit. It is a celebration of repetition, of joy, of momentum. It is the soundtrack for every time you get it right, every moment you move with purpose, every second you feel alive. Rugby matches do the same. They are structured, law-bound, and yet every match delivers that spark, that moment when everything aligns, when your pulse matches the beat and you just want to warch them do it all again.
So as our lads run out against Fiji under the stadium lights, ball in hand, this track will be playing in my head. The rugby world, for 80 minutes, will be a dance floor.
Allez Les Bleus!
Bon Anniversaire Capitaine! Et a bientot.. 🙂
