Light shows, music, Marseillaise a cappella and staging of the haka: last Saturday, before the France-New Zealand match (30-29), the 80,000 supporters present at the Stade de France enjoyed a great show. A show imagined by the FFR to improve the experience at the stadium.
The show was appreciated. On social networks, dozens of spectators present shared their experience, like Pernell: “It was just great, I couldn't say what I liked best. The light shows, the giant jerseys on the pitch. I I definitely didn't expect that.”
As soon as the composition of the teams is announced, the light shows begin and the atmosphere rises until the players enter, who can be seen between jets of smoke. The stadium is then plunged into darkness, leaving only two rectangles in the light, on which the teams position themselves for the anthems. “My favorite moment” says Célestine, a supporter in the stands. “When the lights go out, the whole stadium sings the Marseillaise a capella, it’s incredible.”
A magical haka
The staging of the haka, still in darkness, was praised even in the Pacific. And the president of the French Federation, Florian Grill, affirms that his New Zealand counterpart told him at the stadium that “the haka has never been respected like that.”
Because if the light shows, the smoke jets, the flames were already there against Japan, and will be repeated against Argentina on Friday, the New Zealand myth helped to make this pre-match unique.
Fabien Galthié praised this timeless moment: “When you play Rugby since the age of 5, in the fields with your friends, it's magnificent to see that. It's wonderful, it's addictive, we experience something something very, very strong.”
A show designed since August
This show has been designed by the marketing and communications teams of the French Rugby Federation since August. They rely on external service providers, and the equipment present in the renovated Stade de France to bring it into shape. For this November tour, they only had to add around twenty light spots on the roof of the boxes, and the lights illuminating the players during the anthems.
All for a cost of around 20,000 euros, count the same amount for the pyrotechnics, less present because more expensive and the FFR affirms: “The budget has not been exceeded.”
Improve the stadium experience
The first show of this type saw the light of day on March 16 in Lyon, for a 6 Nations Tournament match against England. The FFR therefore took advantage of the sequence of three meetings in November at the Stade de France to establish it permanently. “This contributes to the overall experience of a match,” explains Florian Grill, “we are very proud of the result obtained, the scenography has gone around the world.”
And everything had been thought of. Several hours of work were necessary to calibrate the lighting, so that the lights could follow the French or the New Zealanders in the event that they advanced during the haka.
In their bubble, the players, like captain Antoine Dupont, do not enjoy it as much: “It doesn't look the same from the pitch as when we see the images again. But it's a real experience for the public, it launches us into the meeting but we try not to waste energy on that.”
“A demonstration of what sport should be”
With this show, beyond entertainment, Florian Grill intends to seduce, and restore the image of French rugby: “We want to make people want to go to the stadium, to transform the media coverage into the number of licensees in the clubs. When I see the respect the stadium had for the haka, it must be a marker of rugby, a demonstration of what this sport should be.”
A great showcase for the Blues, which even aroused the interest of foreign federations. The Irish in particular contacted the FFR to try to draw inspiration from the spectacle at the Stade de France.
