The 2007 Rugby World Cup kicked off in France on Friday night, filling the Cup stadium in Paris with colour and movement in a somewhat bizarre ceremony that was shorter and much less grandiose than those of soccer and the Olympics.
Thousands of spectators — and an anticipated TV audience of four billion — watched as drummers surrounded the field and beat out loud rhythms on big, red oil drums as planes flew past trailing red and blue smoke. The percussionists were joined by teams of ”rugby player” dancers in brightly coloured costumes more reminiscent of American football than rugby, who danced around the field in faux rugby-practice patterns.
Next, representatives of each of the competing nations ran out on to the field, some accompanied by young boys who acted as team mascots. Morne du Plessis was there for the Springboks.
On a warm, 17-degree-Celsius evening punctuated by constant camera flashes from the stands, the dancers fanned out across the field in complicated patterns, weaving and running and gyrating. In between them were rolled in huge mechanical devices on wheels, which eventually came together in the middle of the field to lift four dancers into the air in order for them to hold up a large model of the Webb Ellis Cup.
In less than half an hour the opening ceremony was completed and the field was cleared for the start of the first match, in which hosts France — seen as difficult to beat — were to take on Argentina.
Twenty nations are competing in this year’s World Cup.