Let's go rugby kids!
Last autumn, five school children followed the French national team’s autumn tour live on Societe Generale’s social media accounts. They tell us their experiences of these wonderful games.
The “XV de France” shine on the Autumn tour
With less than two years to go until the next World Cup, to be held in France, rugby fans are already keeping a close eye on their national teams. Last year’s autumn tour gave them all the opportunity to measure up their team’s strengths and weaknesses against their future opponents. With six games and six wins for the French national team, France showed itself to be a serious contender to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. After beating the Argentinian Pumas (29-20) and Georgia (41-15), the French team, or “XV de France” as they are known, achieved a historic victory over the All Blacks (40-25). A symbolic win as it is also the opening match of the 2023 World Cup!
The next generation on the attack
During the autumn tour, the French players, also called “Les Bleus” (The Blues), made a real impression with their fans, notably their young fans. Five of whom, aged 8 to 13, were able to attend three of France’s international matches. In addition to being there for the matches, Mélina, Ethan, Liam, Ylan and Mathilde took control of Societe Generale's @ParAmourDuRugby social media accounts for 2 weeks to cheer The Blues team on.
The five young people had a truly exhilarating experience. For some, it was the first time they had been to a match at the famous Stade de France. “They asked us to turn on our flashlights at the start of the match. There were loads of lights everywhere, it was really pretty. At the end, there was smoke everywhere, it was very impressive!” said Mélina, 8 years old, who has already been playing rugby for 2 years.
Like Mélina, twin brothers Ethan and Liam have fond memories of this historic match. Especially of the Haka performed by the New Zealand team which especially impressed them: “They were scary, they shouted loudly, and we could hear their thighs slamming from where we were,” said Ethan, 11 years old. “I wasn't scared, but I got chills all the same,” added Liam.
See you in Paris in 2023!
These five rugby club members dream of one day of walking onto the pitch wearing a French national team jersey. In the meantime, they are already busy making their predictions for the next Rugby World Cup in France, which Societe Generale will sponsor for the 7th time. One thing they are all certain about is that the XV de France will win. “It's going to be incredible, I can't wait for the World Cup,” enthuses Liam.