The green tide took everything on the field and in the stands Saturday evening. Asked at a press conference about the fabulous atmosphere created by the Irish supporters during the Clover XV demonstration against Scotland, captain Johnny Sexton breathed: “My brother sent me a message three hours before the match, he was at the stadium and he had warned me. A Scottish physio told me it would be 50-50 in the stands, I told him ‘you’ll see.’ I thought it couldn’t be better than the game against South Africa a few weeks ago, but I have to admit I was wrong. They continue to go out of their way for us, and it’s important that we do the same for them. Last week, thanks to them, we had the best day of our lives, and we offered them, I think, something quite similar, if I judge by some of their faces.”
And we saw. The Stade de France was Irish on Saturday evening. Prop Andrew Porter loved it: “The atmosphere was incredible. I think the word is not strong enough. It’s mind-boggling how many Irish fans there are and how much noise they make. It’s humbling to see all these people here, and we try to make the best match possible for them. »
The third row Jack Conan outbids: “It’s great to be able to count on these 60,000 people, you would have thought there were even more. The fans have been wonderful. It’s incredible for us, it boosts us and it pushes us to all give for the people who spent so much to come.” And coach Andy Farrell was particularly touched to see the green people communing with the best team in the world for many minutes after the end of the match: “We play for them. We have to thank them every match, that’s the least we can do. I talked about it again in the locker room. These matches are more valuable to people than you think. We know that everything we do is not just for us.” See you next Saturday for the huge shock against the Blacks where the atmosphere should still be exceptional and the Stade de France more than ever the Stadium of Ireland.