Emmanuel Macron was in Lille on Thursday evening to watch France defeat Uruguay as the Bleus made it two wins from two in the Rugby World Cup. The president was photographed swigging from a bottle of beer, just your normal rugby fan enjoying the game.
Rugby fans and their president have little in common. He is the strutting epitome of the aloof Parisian elite
Macron was also present last week in Paris when France beat New Zealand in the tournament opener, which suggests that either he hasn’t a busy agenda this month or there is a political purpose to his rugby supporting.
The president has long been the self-appointed Superfan of the French football team, memorably punching the Moscow air with delight when they won the 2018 World Cup. Macron assumed he’d have the same role in the Rugby World Cup but to his consternation he’s found himself – in rugby parlance – mauling for possession with Eric Zemmour.
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