Rugby World Cup: anthems sung by children's choirs no longer compulsory

After discussions between the organizing committee and World Rugby but also the Minister of Sports, the solution found was to remove the cannon singing for the choir and let the federations make a choice. “France 2023 is trying to find an intermediate solution but as it stands, the Marseillaise in canon, it was not ideal and it created a cacophony which was not appropriate. They are trying to find a solution, knowing that there have been anthems where things have gone very well,” a source close to rugby authorities told AFP.

“There has been rearrangement work by removing the canon, which makes it possible to propose a new version,” we learned from a source close to the executive. “We have to find a balance between anthems sung with the strength of rugby and not despair of the kids who have worked hard on the subject,” added a source close to rugby authorities.*

So the federations will be able to opt for one or the other version before playing, these sources explained. The question of these anthems sung by children's choirs had already been talked about a few months ago when the organizers had reduced the size of these choirs, citing in particular a problem with the sound system in the stadiums, while children had been preparing for months.