Toulouse: “We have it under our belt”, pubs ready to take the offensive waves of rugby fans

RUGBY Let's go for the Rugby World Cup which starts this evening with the France-New Zealand match. A highly anticipated meeting which you can enjoy in one of the many Toulouse pubs which are ready

No matter which team you support, the pubs are ready to welcome you. — snapshot-photography/K M Krause//SIPA

• The Rugby World Cup finally starts in France this Friday after the first match, a highly anticipated meeting: France against the All Blacks.
• Almost everywhere in France, large cities have been preparing for months to welcome matches in their stadiums and in fan zones, streets and bars, supporters. A real parenthesis around rugby for a month.
• In Toulouse, land of rugby, the city beats to the rhythm of the matches. Outside the largest fan zone in France, bars are ready to welcome supporters. The ads in particular line up for the third half.

The start of the school year is not yet complete. Once digested, Toulouse, like the rest of France, will be able to forget about rugby over the next two months, as long as the Blues put their effort into it. The whole city is preparing for the fall. the Rugby World Cup which starts this Friday with the highly anticipated France-New Zealand match. The streets carry little traffic. Little do the colors of the competing teams, the shops are decorated with sports and the bars take out the pennants proudly wearing blue, white and red. A month in the French rugby capital where players and supporters will meet, since the Stadium will host five matches between September 8 and October 8.

Everyone already knows; where he will watch this first meeting: in the biggest fan-zone in France, prairie des Filtres, in his sofa, with friends, or in front of a good barbecue, it doesn't matter, but above all a pint to drink. hand in one of the many pubs in Toulouse, a sanctuary for sporting events.

“We're ready, we have room for everyone.”. At the Dubliners Irish pub, near the Toulouse Stadium, the whole team is preparing for the event. One more sporting competition finally for the oldest Irish pub in the city which has been blowing for 33 years. For the occasion, Jérémie Loison, the manager of the historic pub, put on a show. on visibility. A giant two-meter screen was installed. installed à inside as well as a TV. à outside without counting the three fixed screens outside. the year. “The whole pub is gridded. The goal is that customers always find a place in front of the match. No matter where they will be seated, they will be able to access the images”

A little beauty for the occasion… – Lucie Tollon

Fifteen shooters to celebrate the match

Apart from broadcasting the meetings, the pub has also invested in local beers. “As we hope to have foreign supporters, we said to ourselves that this was an opportunity to show the good things about our region!”. As for the liters of beers that will be drawn at the same time. abundant from this Friday, the manager prefers to observe before blowing up the order book: “ We don’t yet know the potential craze of this World Cup , we remain in the dark for the moment, we are therefore on usual back-to-school stocks,” adds Jérémie, at the same time. a few hours of the big evening. Customers can still be reassured: “We have fifteen printers!” The cellar is full and the suppliers have their warehouses full. We have some under our belt and we're ready.

“ Inventory is much higher than usual”

The Toulouse pubs of the Wells & Co have also organized themselves well to entertain rugby fans. From the Tower of London, through Londontown, The George and Dragons and The Danu, the « bistros » favorites for toasting while watching a match are in full swing. “Beer stocks are much higher than usual. The cellar is full and the team is complete. We also take extras that we know well for big matches. This is mainly to help us in terms of opening hours, as we will open much earlier on certain days,” explains the Londontown assistant manager.

The barrels are just waiting for the supporters – Lucie Tollon

Right in the heart of the Carmes, the staff is very excited about it. before kick-off. A TV will be placed at outside as well as a drawer. Inside, five TVs and thirteen printers await customers. “We also planned to give gifts and goodies for the occasion. To mark the occasion,” adds the native Englishman.

Those who are operational are also the bartenders at Maison Good. And for good reason, if this popular restaurant-bar in the Pink City does not specialize in cuisine. in sporting events as well as in pubs, the establishment still belongs to the company. Romain Ntamack. « We ordered “More stocks than usual, especially beer,” laughs Gaëtan Brau, one of the four managers. Maison Good will broadcast the match and leave room for the game. the party for more than 400 customers, even if the boss, the big tricolor absent from the World Cup, will perhaps not really want to show himself.