lair of the semi-finals, how the Anoeta football stadium in San Sebastián became the holy grail of rugby

And suddenly, its carcass of a flashy azure blue stands before the visitor lost in the streets of San Sebastian (Spain). It does not take him more than twenty minutes on foot from the old town or the famous Concha beach to come face to face with the setting of Anoeta (or Reale Arena, from its trade name), lair of the Top 14 semi-finals, Toulouse-Racing, Friday June 9, and La Rochelle-Bordeaux-Bègles, Saturday June 10. Its rudimentary forecourt – buildings in direct proximity oblige – makes it intriguing, even anachronistic, at the time of the stadiums on the outskirts with parking spaces spread over several hectometres.

The stadium, with 40,000 seats, blends into the surrounding decor, to the point that you have to strain your eye to distinguish it from a concert hall or a swimming pool. Struck colors txuri-urdin (blue and white in Basque language) of Real Sociedad, the resident football club, Anoeta adorned itself, this weekend, with the black and orange colors of the Top 14. The now natural alloy between the oval ball and the he enclosure was however, 20 years ago, nothing obvious, in a country where rugby is still confidential.

“We were the first team to play there, in 2005 against Munster”remembers Dimitri Yachvili, consultant for France Télévisions and former Biarritz scrum half. “It was my first season in Biarritz, we found ourselves in a jam-packed Anoeta, in a tense match against a benchmark at European level!“, completes Imanol Harinordoquy, holder in the third line that evening.

Offshoring galore in the 2000s

Obliged to relocate its final phase matches in the European Cup because of the limited capacity of its Aguiléra stadium, the BO took a liking to the stadium in the province of Gipuzkoa, until sporadically playing its flagship championship posters there. . “It was the holy grail, you had to earn it!”, illustrates Harinordoquy, also a consultant for France Télévisions. Championship and European Cup combined, Biarritz received there ten times between 2005 and 2011, making the heart beat of a stadium that Real Sociedad, stuck in the second division, struggled to fill.

“It’s a very special stadium”adds Yachvili. “It’s not very far from Biarritz, but it’s another atmosphere. It resonates, you leave the underground locker room then you climb the steps to get on the lawn, in the midst of supporters happy to cross the border.

“There is a real friendliness in the old San Sebastian, with lots of bars. It brings an atmosphere that you can feel in the stadium.”

Imanol Harinordoquy, former Biarritz player and consultant for France Télévisions

at franceinfo: sport

Faced with this popular and commercial success, Aviron bayonnais, rival of the BO, also invested Anoeta for a few gala matches. With a lesser European history, the blue and white club received there four times between 2009 and 2014, before the sporting setbacks of the two Basque teams, who yo-yo between Top 14 and Pro D2, gave a blow of stop relocations.

An “Anoeta generation”

“All the matches we played there, extraordinary things happened”, recalls Yachvili. And the latter to cite specific memories of duels against the Ospreys or Toulouse. “These anthology matches marked the spirits”, says Harinordoquy. These have found an echo in a generation of “children of Anoeta”, who will tread the meadow this weekend.

“Anoeta represents a lot for me, I was going to see the epics of Biarritz Olympique when I subscribed to it with my parents.so blew Maxime Lucu, scrum half of Bordeaux-Bègles, on Canal +. I have a lot of emotions to go back there.” In the meantime, the enclosure was refurbished in 2019. Its capacity increased from 32,000 to 40,000 folding seats, its commercial name changed and the athletics track was removed, bringing the public closer to the lawn.

“They asked the agreement of the Basque and Spanish Federations to do the work, it’s a sign that rugby counts in Anoeta!”

José Miguel Galdos Ordonoz, technical director of the Basque Rugby Federation

at franceinfo: sport

This new Anoeta of rugby, Bayonne inaugurated it in March, replanting rugby poles there nine years after the last match. The bitter memory on the pitch – Rowing’s only “home” defeat (20-30) this season – was mitigated by the popular celebration, in a sold-out stadium several weeks before the match. A similar enthusiasm is expected for these semi-finals and augurs, if the performances of Rowing follow, new crazy rugby days.