Only 1 more sleep and tomorrow we play Australia in the final of our warm up games; which means our next match will be the World Cup opener against the All Blacks, a moment all us rugby fans have been waiting for.
I am trying to remain grounded on this but I have quite a few emotions about this opening game; excitement and nerves. Winning against the All Blacks is going to be tough, especially as they will be looking to redress the balance after their loss against us in November 2021.
Interesting to see how some supporters act in group chats; most of them are only too keen to point out how their team is going to win because of X, Y and Z. I don’t really vibe with this mindset and find it quite hard not to tell them to keep these thoughts to themselves. Yes we all want our team to do well, but please don’t be arrogant like that; it’s not how rugby should be in my opinion.
Some of the Rugby World Cup’s biggest upsets have been moments that stick in all supporters’ memories: who can forget Japan beating the South African team in 2015, to name but one upset since the Competition started in 1987. Crowds tend to support an underdog when their team isn’t playing and I am sure I will hear French supporters cheering on the minnows this year.
Yes we are hosts and one of the favourites, but each game has to be taken on its merits and no one can predict how things will go at the end of the day.
“Unis pour un Reve”
