Match 5 -- New Zealand v. Namibia

Friday, 15 September 2023

My fifth match (and the tenth of the tournament) was New Zealand v. Namibia in Toulouse.

I had already walked the mile or so to the Rugby Village in the Prairie Des Filtres park. That was about half way to the Stadium de Toulouse, so I just kept walking.

Outside Stadium de Toulouse

Great seats, right off the corner of the try zone.

The national anthems

The haka

It started raining lightly early in the first half. The stadium has a roof roughly over the seating area (you can see it in the photo during the anthems), and the rain was light, so it wasn't too bad. Later in the half, the rain got heavier, and the wind blew it at an angle, so the roof didn't help much. Most of the people in my section, myself included, retreated to the cover of the concourse for the last fifteen minutes of the first half. It let up and I returned to my seat at halftime and it stayed pleasant for the rest of the match.

New Zealand won, 71-3, which was no surprise. Namibia's inside center, Le Roux Malan, suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the first half and was carted off the field. The New Zealand team sent him a signed jersey after the match as a sign of solidarity, and I hear that the surgery was successful.

A nice 2.3-mile walk back to the hotel finished the day.