Four days before the start of the Rugby World Cup, the Scotland national rugby team was given a grand welcome at the Villa Masséna in Nice.
The city of Nice went all out at the Villa Masséna to welcome the Scottish players. The Scotland team settled into their base camp on the French Riviera, where they will stay for at least a month during the group stages. The players gathered on the Promenade des Anglais to take a group photo on the iconic blue chairs. They were welcomed by the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, and the President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Renaud Muselier.
The teammates of Finn Russell, a former player of Racing 92, will train at the Nice stadium facilities. The former Racing 92 player is delighted: “At the Nice stadium, there is a beautiful field and a nice gym, so it’s great for our preparation.”
Stars and a Challenging Group
On the sports side, the men of Gregor Townsend, the Scottish coach, will face the South Africans on Sunday in Marseille. It’s a challenging start in the “group of death,” as John Jeffrey, the vice-president of World Rugby, called it at the Villa Masséna.
After this clash, the Scots will play their second group match at the Allianz Riviera on September 24. They will then take on Romania before facing the major opponent of the competition, Ireland, the world number one team and the winner of the 2023 Six Nations Championship.
An Intensive Preparation
With three wins and one loss, the Scotland team has shown promising performances. They arrive in France full of confidence. The Scotland team can rely on their stars, Finn Russell, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, and Duhan Van der Merwe. These key players appeared very relaxed, even enjoying a few dance steps on the blue mat.
To follow the matches of both the Scottish team and the French team, a fan zone will open at the Jardin Albert 1er. The first match is on Friday at 9 PM featuring an exciting game between France and New Zealand.
Arthur Bellan
