There was Fiji in Saint-Étienne, victorious against Australia in a packed stadium and won over to their cause. In this World Cup, there are now the All Blacks in Bordeaux. On Monday, Ian Foster’s men were able to test their popularity and, during training, became the new darlings of the Chaban-Delmas stadium.
Arriving in Gironde this Monday to continue their preparation for their next group match against Italy on September 29, the New Zealanders took advantage of a real crowd bath. Their first training brought together nearly 10,000 people. “A huge thank you to the 10,000 fans who came to our open training in Bordeaux today. Your love and support means everything,” we read on the team’s social media, with supporting photos.
There we see furnished stands where the New Zealand flag flies. At the end of training, the visibly delighted players took selfies and other photos with the supporters present. In images posted on social networks, we even see them starting a “clapping” with the public.
Defeated in the opening match against the XV of France (27-13), suffering the first setback in their history during a World Cup group stage, the New Zealanders quickly bounced back. This Friday, September 15 in Toulouse, the Blacks crushed Namibia by winning 71 to 3. They notably scored 11 tries.
They currently occupy second place in Group A (with 5 points), behind France (8 points), which laboriously won Thursday evening against the Uruguayans (27-12). In the event of a victory against Italy, New Zealand would take a big step towards the quarter-finals of this World Cup.
