The Rugby World Cup is the booziest on record with beer-swilling records shattered by fans. Jacques Rivoal, the chairman of France 2023, has revealed that the tournament has broken new ground with Ireland’s pool clash against South Africa at the Stade de France the thirstiest game yet.
“I would say beer and rugby always go hand in hand,” said Rivoal. “We have smashed records for beer consumption. We had 130,000 pints served for one match, whereas the record was 90,000. The particularly high temperatures during September and October have contributed to that.”
Early-tournament teething troubles at some football stadiums which were unused to serving alcohol have been overcome at a tournament which has seen more than two millions fans attend games.
There has been a party atmosphere although one fight in the stands at the England v Fiji quarterfinal in Marseille involving drunken supporters in Napoleon fancy dress went viral on social media.
“There was an incident involving supporters who had had too much to drink. Our security forces intervened immediately to separate those involved and eject them from the stadium. It was an exceptional incident and quite marginal. Overall, everything has worked perfectly. There have been no security concerns,” said Rivoal.
Meanwhile, the England team have been hit with a booze ban in France. Ellis Genge explained lifted a bottle of coke after the opening-round win over Argentina and explained that the squad were not allowed to get drunk.
He added: “We want to win the World Cup and we’re doing the same thing every week. It’s about consistency. This is what we’re aiming for. We said we were building, but nobody believed it. But I believe we can win this World Cup. Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
