After fifty days, forty-eight matches and many more refereeing errors, it is finally time to move on. The Rugby World Cup is over, France is frustrated, South Africa crowned. It happened on Saturday October 28 at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis. Against New Zealand, the Springboks won, without shining, by a small point (12-11), then left, under the rain and the gaze of Emmanuel Macron, to recover their precious trophy.
In this case, the trophy in question is called the “Webb Ellis Cup”, in reference to the inventor of modern rugby. Inspired by a cup dating from 1740, it measures 38 centimeters, weighs 4.5 kilos and is made of gold-plated silver. Note, above all, that there are actually two Webb Ellis trophies. The original model dates from 1906 and its replica from 1986, one or the other being awarded indifferently to the winners of the competition. So which one did South Africans inherit? Rugby purists will argue that they deserve the reply. And even.
It was Siya Kolisi, the South African captain, who had the honor of guiding his team to the trophy, dressed in the traditional green jersey of the selection. One detail: on his torso was not the traditional springbok, an antelope, symbol of the “sudaf” selection. Widely used during the era of racial segregation and considered a symbol of this period, the antelope has been replaced over the past ten years by the protea, a typical South African plant. Thus, the springbok only appears today on one of the sleeves of the South African jersey.
On the stage installed in the center of the pitch at the Stade de France, Emmanuel Macron took out his umbrella and stretched out his arm to protect Siya Kolisi from the rain. Friendly ? Yes. But risky too. In fact, remember that an umbrella with a metal stem of this type conducts electricity and can therefore, in the event of a lightning strike, cause a lot of damage. The solution ? An umbrella with a wooden stem, much safer and, incidentally, more elegant.
The image of a president umbrella in hand finally allows us to remember that this accessory is not devoid of political meaning. We remember that François Hollande stubbornly refused to be protected from the rain during his speech on the island of Sein in August 2014, as part of the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation, out of solidarity with the fallen soldiers. Above all, we remember that General de Gaulle briefed his close guard so that they would ostensibly hand him an umbrella at the first drop, the better to be able to refuse it, with panache and bravery.
