In the Studio: France's Rugby World Cup kit

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The French national team are known throughout the sporting world as "les bleus" because of their iconic kits, which echo the blue of the French national flag. French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif, in collaboration with the French Rugby Federation, have been creating and developing a new kit for the national squad ahead of France hosting the Rugby World Cup in September and October 2023. Rosa Johnston-Flint talks to some of the creatives behind the design and manufacture of this new kit, and goes to Le Coq Sportif's factory in Romilly-sur-Seine, a small town not far from Paris, to watch the first shirt being made with fabric especially created in France. Rugby is a rough contact sport, so how do you make a jersey that can withstand tackles while being as light as something worn by a cyclist and looking elegant under the spotlight of a home world cup? Presenter/producer: Rosa Johnston-Flint Executive producer: Andrea Kidd

Transcript

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0:00.0	Unexpected elements is all about finding the surprising science angles to
0:05.4	everyday news. That's Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service. Find it
0:12.9	wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
0:18.2	There are few national sports teams as synonymous with a colour as the French.
0:26.2	Allie Lee Blu, come on blues, the fans chant to urge their team on.
0:33.0	France are known throughout the sporting world as Lee Blu, or the blues because of
0:37.2	the iconic team kit they wear, which echoes the blue of their national flag.
0:42.1	And from September to October 2023, fans globally will be looking to France as the
0:47.8	country hosts the men's rugby world cup.
0:51.3	I'm Rosa Johnston Flint. Welcome to the documentary in the studio from the BBC
0:56.4	World Service, as we follow the creation of a new French rugby kit for this very special event.
1:04.4	When I was a student in Paris, I took a detour at the start of term and skipped classes
1:10.2	to work at the 2007 rugby world cup. A giant inflatable rugby ball hung suspended
1:16.9	in the middle of the Eiffel Tower, and the French capital was buzzing. I was hooked.
1:24.5	16 years and four rugby world cups later, France is hosting again.
1:32.0	Rugby, it's a rough contact sport, but also one of fine margins and fingertips catching
1:38.5	a player's clothing can be the difference between scoring and stopping someone.
1:44.1	So getting the outfit right is absolutely crucial.
1:47.6	It's a battle on the field. You want to produce the best possible jerseys and armor,
1:53.3	the lightness, breathability, comfort that is also elegant.
1:58.4	That's Patrick Ouy, brand manager at Le Cook Sportif. The French sportswear company
2:04.0	currently in charge of making the national teams rugby clothing. They've been working alongside
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