A few months after the France-South Africa quarter-final, Damian de Allende admits that the Springboks had a score to settle with the Blues. The reason ? The way France deprived its country of the organization of this World Cup.
A few months after South Africa’s victory in the World Cup, Damian de Allende recognizes that it was against France that the Springboks suffered the most during this competition. But unlike his captain, Siya Kolisi, who expressed a certain compassion to the Blues after having deprived them of their dream of world title at home, the 32-year-old three-quarter center is not unhappy to have played an ugly turn to French rugby.
“I did not feel sorry for them, he told Rugby Pass TV, before explaining why. I don’t feel sorry for them because of the way this World Cup was awarded and the way it was taken away from us, South Africa. For me it was just a little more personal – for all of us – once we figured out what really happened and Rassie Erasmus explained what really happened – it gave us a little edge for the quarter-finals.
“People forget what France did to host the World Cup”
“We haven’t hosted a World Cup since 1995, and I don’t know when we will host another World Cup in South Africa, but 2023 was probably our best chance, and we felt like it was in our hands and it was taken away from us. (…) People forget what France did to host the World Cup again,” recalls De Allende.
The 2023 World Cup was awarded to France in November 2017. South Africa was also a candidate, and two weeks before the vote, the technical commission mandated by World Rugby revealed in its report that it recommended to the unanimously the South African candidacy.
Despite a better record on paper, South Africa was ultimately beaten by France in the election, by 29 votes to 15 in the second round. It is French lobbying, in particular from the president of the FFR Bernard Laporte, which would have made the difference. While the vote was done by secret ballot, Planet Rugby reports that Rugby Africa would have given its two votes to France, rather than to South Africa. Since this episode, World Rugby has decided to publish the votes after each ballot.
