It was not supposed to be like this. From the host nation’s perspective the Stade de France should have been awash with Gallic pride, fluttering tricolours and beret-tossing passion. Instead, in the ugliest Parisian plot twist since the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the locals are now having to watch from the margins as England and South Africa scrap for a place in next weekend’s finale.
Small wonder a good few tickets have been popping up back on resale sites in the past few days. Even the staunchest of English and Springbok followers are not anticipating many romantic subplots or grand artistic flourishes. Never mind Quasimodo: no one familiar with these two teams expects this looming final eliminator to be easy on the eye.
