Rugger

This thing here is the Stade de France.

France's major sports stadium.

There are other stadiums such as at Marseille and at Lyon.

However, the Stade de France was created especially for the world cup in 1998 and was heavily decried and ridculed for it's shape and form - it looks like a UFO.

The biggest critiscism was about how the cost would be off-set "how'n the hell are we going to fill this thing up with nearly 80 thousand people ?"


The answer was to hold major athletic meetings, concerts and other special events such as the trophy Andros (car racing on ice !!).

The stadium is home to international rugby and regularly holds matches for the Six nations championship and will have a high profile during next years rugby world cup.

Tonights match was just for the national rugby league and saw the local team (Stade Français) against last years winners (Biarritz Olympique). Although it was chock-a-block, i've got to say that there were very few people from the other team in evidence .. my team has chosen flourescent pink for some unbeknown reason.

I suspect that it was just a dress rehersal for next year - there was a kind of show before the main event with pom-pom girls (unheard of in France really) a gospel choir and some bloke dressed up as an angel (!!) decending from the roof cradling the ball in his arms.

I couldn't help but thinking that my dad must be turning in his grave "that. is. not. rugby." i can imagine him saying.

Anyhow, the match started off quickly, Stade Français got off well, built a comfortable lead which they held onto until the very death at the end (22/16) where Biarritz started to look menacing.

And that's it

There now follows a few rugby match photos *you've been warned*

( click on them to open in a new window for a better view)