The Irish came on January 13, 2022 and are still not fixed. One year from the Rugby World Cup in France, Tours is still not officially the future base camp of Ireland. The Irish selection, current world number one in the World Rugby ranking (ahead of France), has reason to be demanding, but there, when everything led to believe that we were coming to the end of the interminable wait, what who is blocking?
An ambiguous and clear statement at the same time
A press conference was to take place on Tuesday September 6 to formalize Tours as the base camp of the XV du Clover during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ultimately, the conference was canceled at the last minute and postponed to a later date. The press release from the 2023 World Cup Organizing Committee states that “not all the conditions are in place to make it possible to formalize a Team Base Camp in Tours in due time”. An ambiguous press release which does not at all endorse the possibility of seeing the green carpet rolled out to the Irish next year in Tours.
A profound lack of respect
The wait, already long, gives way to indignation for fans of the oval in Touraine. Starting with Bertrand Bourgeault, president of the Tours Rugby 2023/2024 association, who has been campaigning from the start for a candidacy for the city of Tours as a base camp for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“There is a deep lack of respect, we are talking about the World Cup, high professional level and I have the feeling that some have behaved like amateurs – Bertrand Bourgeault, president of the Tours Rugby association 2023/2024
The Touraine, member of the administration at the US Tours club, was in shock when he heard the news, he who had prepared everything. “In a minute everything collapsed”. But immediately, the anger gave way to indignation explains the rugby lover. “There is a deep lack of respect, we are talking about the World Cup, the high professional level and I have the feeling that some have behaved like amateurs” castigates the Touraine.
Did the new management of France 2023 prefer to check the contract?
Bertrand Bourgeault has no explanation for this postponement. A postponement of formalization surely linked, directly or indirectly, with the shocks suffered by France 2023 in recent days, with in particular the layoff as a precautionary measure of Claude Atcher, the general manager of the 2023 World Cup. following an investigation by the labor inspectorate, following an article in the newspaper The Team, which pointed to a deep malaise and managerial practices “alarming“.
For the president of Tours Rugby 2023/2024, “there must be a clause that should not have been locked in the contract”, if he can afford to speculate. Indeed, perhaps the new management of France 2023, under the leadership of Julien Collette, preferred to take the time to reassess the file.
Always optimistic!
Anyway, in Tours, we prefer to remain optimistic. Bertrand Bourgeault recalls that Andy Farrell, the Irish coach was seduced by the city during his visit to Tours, “by Place Plumereau, Château Belmont, the Cher valley and the future center of La Chambrerie, he dreams of it. So we have to keep hope, “the tide will certainly break over Tours in 2023“, Bertrand Bourgeault is convinced.