the essential
This Saturday, November 9, Antoine Dupont and the Blues faced Japan at the Stade de France during the first day of the 2024 fall tour. A meeting largely dominated by the Tricolores, marked by the debut of a new duo of commentators.
The meeting was, for them too, a meeting of capital importance. This Saturday, November 9, Antoine Dupont and the players of the French rugby XV met their audience at the Stade de France for the first match of the fall tour.
A match against Japan largely dominated by the Blues (52-12), which had the originality of being broadcast on TF1, the private channel having acquired the rights to the 2024 and 2025 autumn tours (after those of the 2023 World Cup in France). Thus, a new duo of commentators officiated: the journalist Stefan Etcheverry, supported by the consultant Thomas Lombard, current director of Stade Français.
This evening, a great first for them, was also a (crash) test. Indeed, during the last World Cup, the tandem composed of François Trillo and Benjamin Kayser received a mixed reception from the public.
This Saturday evening, several supporters deplored comments that were sometimes a little too wise. “No emotion, on the verge of saying 'yahoo' when we score” we could read in particular on
No emotion among the TF1 commentators, they explain the rules of rugby to us, on the verge of saying “yahoo” when we score..
I miss these two legends terribly.#FRAJAP pic.twitter.com/NapPpKNhIT
— Flow? (@cmoiflow) https://twitter.com/cmoiflow/status/1855347455572808065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
TF1 commentators, we're going to fall asleep… It's not a dream… #FRAJAP
— Thomas M. ⭐⭐ (@TMahe17) https://twitter.com/TMahe17/status/1855343690736123927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“It’s just horrible!” also annoys another viewer. Others felt like the duo didn't show enough expertise. “The comments from TF1 are hellish, we have the impression that the commentators are discovering rugby… Meet us Matthieu Lartot”, quoting the commentator from France Télévisions (regular channel of the French XV in recent years).
Oh damn…. The commentators of #tf1…It's just horrible….#FRAJAP #FRAVSJAP #AUTUMNNATIONSSERIES pic.twitter.com/8ClcuDb5Jb
— f@nf@n ??? (@eolmick) https://twitter.com/eolmick/status/1855345068665934151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The comments from TF1 are hellish, we have the impression that the commentators are discovering rugby… let us know @lartot ! #FRAJAP
— Master Shifu (@Maitre_Shif0u) https://twitter.com/Maitre_Shif0u/status/1855348857116483838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“The French XV without Matthieu Lartot is like pancakes without Nutella” jokes another, still in reference to Stefan Etcheverry’s colleague.
The XV of France without @lartot it’s like pancakes without Nutella…. ???#FRAJAP
— Antoine (@Antoine_Chau) https://twitter.com/Antoine_Chau/status/1855341343595176126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Other followers of the meeting, on the other hand, praised a pronounced effort at explanations and deciphering. They make the effort to explain a little because it's not the usual audience that watches, I don't find it so bad” we could read. Or again: “It's true that it lacks a little dynamism but It’s educational, I think it’s the most important thing for this kind of match.”
It's true that it lacks a bit of dynamism but it's educational, I think it's the most important thing for this type of match.
— ? (@ElNono__) https://twitter.com/ElNono__/status/1855344465868730873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Next meeting for TF1, Stefan Etcheverry and Thomas Lombard: Saturday November 16, France – New Zealand, still in Saint-Denis.
