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Rugby World Cup step in after anthem criticism
Rugby World Cup organisers have announced plans to record new renditions of the national anthems of competing countries after those used over the opening weekend were heavily criticised.
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Choirs involving 7,000 schoolchildren from diverse backgrounds sung each country’s anthem without accompanying music, with the recordings played in the stadiums.
However, the general consensus was the versions used did not hit the mark, with players and supporters singing out of sync as a result.
Tournament organisers have accepted the criticism and proposed that new, more simplified adaptations would be used that retain the voices of the children.
“We’ve clearly understood and received the feedback from fans and teams as well and we all know the anthems are a central part of the experience of the fans, the players and the teamsm so we have definitely understood that feedback,” said tournament director Michel Poussau, speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday.
“We understand that it hasn’t worked as well as we hoped, which is why we are now working in partnership with France 2023 and our unions at new versions, which we hope will combine the best of both worlds. Basically where we can have anthems that will be closer to expectations from all, but will still have that touch from the kids who have been amazing and have been working very hard and deserve to be part of the anthems.
“That is what we have been working (on) and hopefully the new version will be approved by all unions.”
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Poussau is confident early teething problems with fans gaining access to stadiums have been ironed out heading into the second weekend of the tournament.
There were chaotic scenes outside the Stade Velodrome in Marseille before England’s match against Argentina on Saturday night and thousands of ticket holders missed the start of the Pool D opener because of the limited number of entry points and turnstiles, insufficient staffing levels and extensive security checks.
There were similar issues ahead of Ireland’s match against Romania in Bordeaux the same day, although access appeared to be notably smoother at both venues the following day for matches between Scotland and South Africa in Marseille and Wales and Fiji in Bordeaux.
“It is very clear that not everything went well in the first weekend and that is not really a surprise to us. It’s always very complex to start,” said Poussau.
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“But we are very confident in our capacity and our organising committee, who we are working hand in hand (with) to address these challenges and to find the relevant solutions.
“We are completely confident, but that doesn’t mean we are being complacent. We have our fans and our teams at heart and our ambition is always to deliver the best for them.
“We want to stop the frustration of some of our fans, for example not being able to make their way to the stadium in Marseille or Bordeaux as they should have been, but we are very confident this will be fixed over the weekend.
“There were challenges in Marseille and Bordeaux, but France 2023 has worked hard and in these two cases the second game was a lot better than the first one.
“I think we should thank France 2023 for this and the people on the ground who had a limited amount of time. They have tried to address the challenges and find solutions.”
There were also issues on the first weekend surrounding the supply of refreshments for supporters running dry.
“We have had a heatwave in September, which has never happened before, which had two major consequences,” said France 2023 chief executive Julien Collette.
“The fans drank a lot more. We thought we had sufficient supplies based on previous records, but those records were broken. For example, the previous record was 50,000 cups, and there we sold 90,000, well over any previous records.
“The second consequence is that the barrels have been difficult to keep refrigerated. It was not so much the supplies, but how cold the barrels were, which is why there were queues.
“We are working hard with our teams to improve the efficiency of the refrigeration and service. The consumption of water also broke records too.”
Comments on RugbyPass
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
2 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
1 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
6 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
2 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
6 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
6 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
3 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
16 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
16 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to comments