{"id":239116,"date":"2023-10-21T19:35:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T19:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=239116"},"modified":"2023-10-21T19:35:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T19:35:50","slug":"england-rugby-fans-take-their-seats-in-paris-soggy-state-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/world-news\/england-rugby-fans-take-their-seats-in-paris-soggy-state-de-france\/","title":{"rendered":"England rugby fans take their seats in Paris' soggy State de France"},"content":{"rendered":"
Thousands of England fans take their seats in Paris’ soggy State de France as their underdog heroes take on South Africa in the World Cup semi-final at 8pm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier today, punters in\u00a0Red Rose jerseys were seen sinking pints in the run-up to tonight’s grudge match against the\u00a0Springboks.<\/p>\n
Some 20,000 England fans are expected to cheer on the team when they take to the pitch at the Stade de France in the French capital.<\/p>\n
Steve Borthwick\u2019s squad are coming into the clash as the underdogs, with bookies giving odds of just 5\/1 to beat the current world champions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And despite the odds, England’s army of supporters are remaining hopeful as the men in red and white\u00a0start off well, with former England fly-half Paul Grayson describing\u00a0it as a ‘dream start’.<\/p>\n
Captain Owen Farrell has scored three penalties so far to put his side 9-3 up.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A young England fan cheers from the stands prior the Rugby World Cup semifinal match between England and South Africa<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dressed-up supporters of England react before the semifinal match<\/p>\n <\/p>\n England supporters cheer on their team from the stands with a flag which read: ‘Rugby’s Coming Home’<\/p>\n <\/p>\n England players line up during the national anthems before the match<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A fan of South Africa poses for a photo holding a banner that features imagery of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Steven Kitshoff of South Africa<\/p>\n ‘There’s no reason why we can’t do it,’ said Tony Brett, 43 from Bath. ‘Whatever happens it’s going to be a great game.’<\/p>\n Mr Brett was part of a travelling army of fans from the UK who were in the French capital for the Saturday evening clash.<\/p>\n ‘We might be underdogs, but England can certainly do it,’ said Simon Goss, also 43 and from Bath.<\/p>\n Father and son Toby and Nick Walter, aged 51 and 19, from Sevenoaks in Kent, also believed England had a fighting chance.<\/p>\n ‘England to win by three points is my prediction,’ said Mr Walter, who was wearing a British & Irish Lions kit.<\/p>\n ‘We’ll be wearing our white England kit at the game,’ he said, adding: ‘We’re England first and Lions second.’<\/p>\n Richard and Ben Summers, another father and son, aged 52 and 25, from Sheffield, attended the New Zealand win against Argentina on Friday night as a warmup to the England game.<\/p>\n ‘If every player is at his best, and South Africa make a few mistakes then \u2013 yes \u2013 we can do it,’ said Mr Summer senior.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Toby and Nick Walter, father and son from Sevenoaks in Kent, don their red\u00a0British Lions kit in Paris<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gavin Howard with daughter Holly, 18, arriving at the Gare du Nord, Paris for the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England vs South Africa<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Richard and Ben Summers, father and son from Sheffield, are already sinking pints in Paris ahead of England’s semi-final match against South Africa at the Rugby World Cup\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Simon Goss and Tony Brett from Bath are also getting into the spirit in France\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some 20,000 England fans are expected to watch tonight’s match in the Stade de France. Pictured is England captain Owen Farrell celebrating his team’s win over Fiji in the quarter-finals last week\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘We follow England, Sheffield and Knottingley rugby club and know that the game can throw up all kinds of surprise. Whatever happens, it should be a superb night.’<\/p>\n Supporters swept in on the Eurostar and were seen singing Swing Low in the bars.<\/p>\n Chloe Wells, 30, is backing England to beat the Springboks and go on to win the World Cup.<\/p>\n Ms Wells, of Surrey, who got her nails painted with red roses, said: \u2018Of course we\u2019re going to do it. We\u2019re going to go all the way.\u2019<\/p>\n She travelled with friends Josh Ervin, 31, Augusto Burtolome, 28, and George Jones, 28.<\/p>\n Mr Ervin said: \u2018We\u2019re expecting the worst and hoping for the best. We\u2019re keeping everything crosssed.\u2019<\/p>\n David Jackson, 59, of Warwick and Chris Allen, 55, of Buxton have been following England from the start of the tournament.<\/p>\n Mr Allen said: \u2018I have just bought tickets for the final, I think we are going to do it tonight.<\/p>\n \u2018South Africa have been battered by France, if we turn up we\u2019ve really got a chance.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n South Africa fan Tyran Saayman (left) with England fan Adam Dodkins (right) at the Gare du Nord in Paris\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Jackson, who paid \u00a3400 for his tickets, said: \u2018This is the same team that beat New Zealand in the semi final at the last tournament, I think we can be confident.\u2019<\/p>\n Mike Parker, 62, of Twickenham and Kevin Watt, 59, of Barnett, got samurai England hats made at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.<\/p>\n Mr Watt said: \u2018England getting to the semi finals has been the biggest deception on French soil since the D Day landings.<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019ve flown under the radar from the start. We weren\u2019t expecting them to get out of the group stages and now we\u2019re one march away from the final.\u2019<\/p>\n Mr Parker said: \u2018Steve Borthwick needs knighting if we win this. He\u2019s been brilliant.<\/p>\n \u2018I think it\u2019s going to be a great night and we\u2019re in with a shout.\u2019<\/p>\n Adam Dodkins, 39, of Aylesbury travelled over with South African Tyran Saayman, 38, of Oxford.<\/p>\n Mr Dodkins said: \u2018Tyran is more confident than me, but I think we can do this. We need to keep it a 10 man game and kick everything.<\/p>\n \u2018If we win this I won\u2019t let him forget it.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Marcus Smith of England feeds a pass during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Fiji at Stade Velodrome on October 15<\/p>\n Mr Dodkins has been to every World Cup match since 2007 with his father before he sadly passed away from Covid two years ago.<\/p>\n Mr Saayman said: \u2018As soon as I saw it was South Africa England I said we\u2019re going. It\u2019s great to be here – but I think the tournament will end for England tonight.\u2019<\/p>\n Gavin Howard, 52, came over for the game on the Eurostar with his 18-year-old daughter Holly from Bristol.<\/p>\n Ms Howard said: \u2018I think if we keep it a tight game we might have a chance – but we\u2019ll have to get lucky.\u2019<\/p>\n The Howars bought their tickets on September last year.<\/p>\n Mr Howard said: \u2018I\u2019m quite surprised we\u2019ve made it this far. I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll get much further, but I hope I\u2019m wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n Tonight’s clash comes on the anniversary of two famous British military victories which fans hope will spur England on to.<\/p>\n On October 21 1805, British military hero Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson\u00a0 led the Royal Navy to one of its most famous victories at the Battle of Trafalgar.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lord Nelson’s fleet of 27 warships where outnumbered when they took on and defeated the 33 ships of the combined French and Spanish armada.\u00a0<\/p>\n The exactly 94 years later, in 1899, English soldiers from\u00a0the Devonshire and Manchester regiments were among those who triumphed in the Battle of Elandslaagte in South Africa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Troops fighting for the South African Republic under General Johannes Kock were roundly defeated in the town of Elandslaagte, north of Ladysmith, during the Second Boer War.\u00a0<\/p>\n An epic performance by England’s warriors was again required if they were to have any chance of beating Rugby World Cup champions South Africa.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ollie Lawrence of England poses for a photograph with a fan after the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Fiji<\/p>\n As fans arrived by train, plane and car, a vast security operation unfolded to keep them all safe.<\/p>\n France is on maximum terror alert following the killing of a school teacher by a self-styled ISIS terrorist in Arras, north of Paris, a week ago, and multiple bomb alerts.<\/p>\n The Palace of Versailles, Louvre Museum and Eiffel Tower have all been shut down at various times over the past week because of false warnings.<\/p>\n In 2015, three ISIS suicide bombers targeted the Stade de France during an international football match between France and Germany attended by the then French president, Fran\u00e7ois Hollande.<\/p>\n The latest fears come as tensions mount across the world because of the Israel-Hamas War in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Today will also see England taking on South Africa in the Cricket World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\nREAD MORE: England vs South Africa – Rugby World Cup semi-final LIVE: Owen Farrell and Freddie Steward start as 2019 finalists face-off with a spot in the final on the line<\/h3>\n