France v Ireland, Paris 11/02/06

Downtime

France v Ireland, Paris 11/02/06

Just thought I'd give a quick heads up on flights to this game. Yesterday I got two return flights to Beauvais on Ryanair for €95 travelling out on the Thursday and back on the Monday.

Four months in advance I know but a good saving.

Steffano2002

Thanks for the heads-up! I'm definitely going to it so I better start panicking! :eek:

Downtime

No problem - I'll be there too - the flights were getting dearer and dearer by the week and then good aul Ryanair have a sale.


My first trip to Stade de France - really looking forward to it.

Steffano2002

I've been there 4 times in total and I really enjoyed it every time! Great stadium! You can see everything regardless where you're sitting.
Hope we win though!

kazzer

Is it hard to get your hands on tickets for this game?

Downtime

Might be - dunno if it is or not - booked mine through a club.

Steffano2002

Will be getting them through club also

Snickers Man

Hope you all enjoy yourselves, lads. I was there back in 2000 when we won for the first time in yonks.

I have to say though, I am not a big fan of the stadium. It's too big, too impersonal and too far away.

If Ireland win the atmosphere will be ****e because the French HATE losing at home and react by sulking. Then if you want to go celebrating, there's not really a focal point to aim for near the ground because, well, pardon the snobbery but St Denis translates into Hiberno English as Tallaght.

You can get a fast train into town and head for one of the irish pubs but to me that's not the same as a true Rugby weekend when you tumble out of the stadium and into any one of a million local hostelries to banter with the locals.

Like you can do in Dublin, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Still my favourite places to go.

You only get realy good atmosphere from the French when they cut you to pieces. They really love one-sided massacres when their lads run tries in from all over the shop. I reckon its the Basque influence. It's from watching all those bullfights.

Steffano2002

Well, I'm French and to be honest I don't really disagree with you there.

I do disagree on the Stade de France though. In my opinion it is a beautiful, modern stadium. Fair enough it's no Lansdowne but you can't really compare both. You should be comparing Lansdowne to the Park des Princes and Croke Park to the Stade de France. And I do prefer watching a rugby match in the SdF rather than Lansdowne. If you're unlucky, the Dart will block you for 10 minutes before you go in then you're waiting up to 15-20 minutes to exit the stadium after the game...
And having a stadium in town might be handy for going drinking afterwards but lets be honest, it's a mess to get there... Ask the GAA fans that make their way from Kerry, Cork or Galway for example... It's hell. Too congested. Poor access by public transportation (no direct metro or luas access). Those b*stards at the corporation clamp you if you drive there. If you live around the stadium you'll have no parking space yourself. The roads are blocked. Etc, etc.
Nowadays, stadiums have to be built outside cities. Where was "Stadium Ireland" going to be built for example? You have no choice...
And you're right, St-Denis is a kip, I'll give you that

And we do HATE losing. But don't we all? I hardly saw the Irish fans cheering when France won in Lansdowne this year...
And the Irish attitude in general when it comes to supporting a team in any sport is very different to the French attitude. I'm half French, half Irish and I've been living in Dublin for the past 7 years and that's one thing I really noticed from the start. The Irish have a complex. They are defeatist. Even today, in work, when I hear my Irish colleagues speak about tonight's game against Switzerland it feels like they've already lost! And same happens every year before our 2 nations' encounter.
In France we want to win. Expect to win. And are gutted when we don't. So of course, if Ireland wins, it will be a sh*t atmosphere in Paris... And because of this attitude we find it much harder than the Irish fans to forget about the game and enjoy a friendly drink after the match...
That's just the way the French are... Let's not blame the Basques

Snickers Man

Steffano2002 wrote:

Well, I'm French and to be honest I don't really disagree with you there.

I do disagree on the Stade de France though. In my opinion it is a beautiful, modern stadium. Fair enough it's no Lansdowne but you can't really compare both. You should be comparing Lansdowne to the Park des Princes and Croke Park to the Stade de France.

I've been to Parc des Princes too. I saw Ireland get absolutely hammered there one year in the 1980s, at a time when we were expected to do well. France had some bloody marvellous runners though. Lagisquet, the Bayonne Express and the magnificent Serge Blanco, one of my all-time favourite players. They destroyed us that day. The score wasn't too bad--I think it was something like 27-6 which in these days of seven point tries, aerodynamic plastic balls and 90 per cent kicking averages doesn't sound too much but France missed all there kicks that day and just ran in tries. And boy did the crowd love it!!

I think the debate about stadia being in the middle of town or outside it has been aired elswhere. I'm a firm believer of keeping them in town. You don't just go to a match for the game itself. It's for everything else, the craic, the atmosphere, the build up. That becomes harder to achieve if the ground is out of town.

I take your point about public transport in Ireland being crap and that it's hard to get to Lansdowne Road/Croker etc by public transport. But would it be any different if the ground was at Abbotstown? That junction off the motorway is hellish, what with Blanch shopping centre et al, and forcing everybody to drive to out of town venues is not going to work with our congested road system.

At least if it's in town you can get the train up to Dublin and either stay overnight or walk up to the ground, stopping in one or two hostelries on the way.

I do prefer watching a rugby match in the SdF rather than Lansdowne. If you're unlucky, the Dart will block you for 10 minutes before you go in then you're waiting up to 15-20 minutes to exit the stadium after the game...

Lansdowne Road is a hovel. I give you that. The atmoshphere can be great but I would hope that the new stadium addresses this crazy issue of the level crossing. If the state really wants to subsidise it, all it should do is sink the Dart line so that it goes beneath Lansdowne Road. There will be a disaster some day if they don't. It's inevitable.

I'm half French, half Irish and I've been living in Dublin for the past 7 years and that's one thing I really noticed from the start. The Irish have a complex. They are defeatist. Even today, in work, when I hear my Irish colleagues speak about tonight's game against Switzerland it feels like they've already lost! And same happens every year before our 2 nations' encounter.
In France we want to win. Expect to win. And are gutted when we don't.

An old friend of mine who is married to a french woman and has lived in Paris for years sums up the French attitude as 'We won, they lost' Everybody claims ownership of the win, but when they lose, the team is disowned and everybody says they are no longer interested in that particular sport. 'They lost. I don't support rugby anyway. We're much better at football.' or vice versa

TBH though, France are my favourite team to watch as a neutral. All the truly memorable matches I can remember as a neutral seem to involve them. 1987 France Australia WC semi final; 1991 Grand Slam decider England France and of course the 1999 Semi final against New Zealand.

When France play to the best of their ability,they play rugby the way it should be played.

Steffano2002

Snickers Man wrote:

I've been to Parc des Princes too. I saw Ireland get absolutely hammered there one year in the 1980s, at a time when we were expected to do well. France had some bloody marvellous runners though. Lagisquet, the Bayonne Express and the magnificent Serge Blanco, one of my all-time favourite players. They destroyed us that day. The score wasn't too bad--I think it was something like 27-6 which in these days of seven point tries, aerodynamic plastic balls and 90 per cent kicking averages doesn't sound too much but France missed all there kicks that day and just ran in tries. And boy did the crowd love it!!

Never been there myself... Too young for that I guess... And I think this is why we differ on this particular issue. I'm of the "Stade de France generation" and I'd only been there to watch matches so that's what I considered to be "normal" (i.e. a massive stadium outside the city centre). If I had started my "rugby fan carrier" by going to stadiums such as the Parc des Princes or Lansdowne Road, I think I'd feel the same way you feel...

Snickers Man wrote:

I think the debate about stadia being in the middle of town or outside it has been aired elswhere. I'm a firm believer of keeping them in town. You don't just go to a match for the game itself. It's for everything else, the craic, the atmosphere, the build up. That becomes harder to achieve if the ground is out of town.

The atmosphere outside the SdF can be pretty good! Especially for Top14 games! It was quite good for last season's final between SF and BO for example! But it is true that for International/6N matches it can be pretty dull. I blame that on the parisiens that should be banned from attending rugby matches... They just sit there and do nothing. I bet you they don't have a rugby jersey or even know the laws of the game! Only people from the South should be allowed to go! lol

Snickers Man wrote:

I take your point about public transport in Ireland being crap and that it's hard to get to Lansdowne Road/Croker etc by public transport. But would it be any different if the ground was at Abbotstown? That junction off the motorway is hellish, what with Blanch shopping centre et al, and forcing everybody to drive to out of town venues is not going to work with our congested road system.

Surely they wouldn't build a new stadium without addressing the traffic congestions first!? then again...

Snickers Man wrote:

Lansdowne Road is a hovel. I give you that. The atmoshphere can be great but I would hope that the new stadium addresses this crazy issue of the level crossing. If the state really wants to subsidise it, all it should do is sink the Dart line so that it goes beneath Lansdowne Road. There will be a disaster some day if they don't. It's inevitable.

I like Lansdowne. It has a great "aura" about it... And the atmosphere can be pretty good indeed! But as you said, the level crossing issue really needs to be addressed... And hopefully it will! (But let's not hold our breath on that one)

Snickers Man wrote:

An old friend of mine who is married to a french woman and has lived in Paris for years sums up the French attitude as 'We won, they lost' Everybody claims ownership of the win, but when they lose, the team is disowned and everybody says they are no longer interested in that particular sport. 'They lost. I don't support rugby anyway. We're much better at football.' or vice versa

You're going to laugh but what I said at the last Football World Cup when France lost (miserably) was: "They lost. I don't support football anyway. We're much better at rugby".
But I feel like this all the time now. Football just isn't for me... But I will stand by the Stade Toulousain and the XV de France whether we win or lose. I'll guarantee you that!
Do tell your old friend he's right though. Most French people like supporting winning teams and they don't want to be associated with losing teams... Basically they're not really supporters. It's sad really...

Snickers Man wrote:

TBH though, France are my favourite team to watch as a neutral. All the truly memorable matches I can remember as a neutral seem to involve them. 1987 France Australia WC semi final; 1991 Grand Slam decider England France and of course the 1999 Semi final against New Zealand.

When France play to the best of their ability,they play rugby the way it should be played.

Hearing these kind words really make me proud so thank you Snickers Man

RuggieBear

erm the public trnasport for the Stade aint so hot if you ask me....train station must be at least a mile away from the place.

I find it souless and sterile the few times i've been to it...still i'd swop it for Landowne road in a second

Now the parc de Princes....christ. there was an intimidating place. Saw ireland get annihilated 44-12 (4pt tries :eek: ). Also watched PSG there in a Cup winners cup qurter final and although the place wasn;t even half full, i've never heard an atmosphere of intimidation like it.

Steffano2002

RuggieBear wrote:

erm the public trnasport for the Stade aint so hot if you ask me....train station must be at least a mile away from the place.

When was the last time you went? I had to do that 1 mile walk also but only the first time I went (1999 or 2000). Everytime I've been since, the train/metro station (can't remember) was very close...

RuggieBear wrote:

I find it souless and sterile the few times i've been to it...still i'd swop it for Landowne road in a second

Harsh words... I didn't find it souless nor sterile. Then again, could be because I have that warm feeling that I'm "at home"...
Maybe this will change with time!? Who knows... We've only been playing since what? 1998? I don't know...

Red Soup

Steffano2002 wrote:

And the Irish attitude in general when it comes to supporting a team in any sport is very different to the French attitude. I'm half French, half Irish and I've been living in Dublin for the past 7 years and that's one thing I really noticed from the start. The Irish have a complex. They are defeatist. Even today, in work, when I hear my Irish colleagues speak about tonight's game against Switzerland it feels like they've already lost! And same happens every year before our 2 nations' encounter.

Agreed. I hate that attitude, in rugby (supporting a team like Ulster, I get a lot of it). Don't mind it in soccer though... damn that was an awful game!

Steffano2002

Red Soup wrote:

Agreed. I hate that attitude, in rugby (supporting a team like Ulster, I get a lot of it). Don't mind it in soccer though... damn that was an awful game!

Awful game indeed and gutted Ireland didn't make it...
France was very lucky to qualify. I really feel a remake of the 2002 world cup coming on...

I don't care anyway. The world cup I'm really looking forward to is the one in France in 2007! Tickets go on sale this month so I hope you all registered on www.ffr.fr! Otherwise it's going to be tough to get tickets...

Geg124

It will be hard to get tickets for the game because so many fans want tickets. if u dont get them through a club u have no hope.

I cant wait for the match. i hope we can do it this year and if we beat them we have a great chance of getting the title this year

Snickers Man

Steffano2002 wrote:

the level crossing issue really needs to be addressed... And hopefully it will! (But let's not hold our breath on that one)

I see from today's irish times report on the plans submitted for the new stadium that there will be an underpass under the DART Line. Let's hope they follow through on that one.

Steffano2002

The Irish Independent article states: "Some of the features include: (...) New access routes, including underpasses beneath the railway, to relieve congestion (...)".

I'm delighted they're addressing the issue! I'm very happy with the plans overall! Four years to wait though...

Trojan

Steffano wrote:

Nowadays, stadiums *have* to be built outside cities. Where was "Stadium Ireland" going to be built for example? You have no choice...

Pure and absolute bull. It's a pity the search aint working, but there was plenty of discussion on this topic about 12 months back. Lack of atmosphere is one major reason why we should not go outside the city.

Steffano2002

I stand by my comment. It is too impractical to even be feasible in today's world.

I do, however, I agree with you about the atmosphere issue: the further from the city centre, the worst the atmosphere...

Trojan

Sorry, but I will not accept "impractical to even be feasible in today's world", "stadiums *have* to be built outside cities", or "You have no choice" as fact. For one thing you have given no reasons for these absolute statements.

These are the kind of pessimistic phrases which corrupt or stupid politicians use to justify whatever decision they want to make. Tackle the real issue by enumerating the logistical problems: transport, parking etc. Once the issues are identified, it's a very big, but relatively simple task of identifying workable solutions.

Trojan

Here's someone who agrees with moving out of town:

Abbotstown Fan wrote:

I disagree completely with the idea of having stadia near the city centre. Why should being able to get to the stadium in a 15 minute walk from O'Connell or 5 minute DART trip be a consideration? All the pubs near the stadium contribute to this huge problem of people walking after drinking long associated with Lansdowne Road.

Abbotstown is a great location with acres of room for the thousands of parking spaces required, no pubs to contribute to the drink walking problem -most people will drive there anyway- and minuscule level of public transport. If we build a new rail system at cost of billions of my hard earned money, sure it'd be really atmospheric with all the home and visiting fans travelling on the short 45 minute journey out there. Abbotstown will positively contribute to removing the disruption of 6 Nations weekend by damping spirits of visitors to acceptable levels and will do wonders for the economy in the local area (well, for the developers and politicians anyway).

They're going to ban cheering in the stadium as as well, so that we can all hear the referee and players. Experiments at Donnybrook have proven the concept and plans are in work to extend the program.

What a fantasic idea. What idiot came up with this? Oh, yeah, An Taoiseach... nuff said.

Trojan

Found the original thread (and apologies for spamming this one).

Al.