I've been itching to write something about last nights Rugby World Cup opening ceremony. It was frankly the worst opening ceremony I've ever seen … for any sport. Good 'ol Stopforth has captured the sentiment well in reflecting on France's performance during the game:

" … the pomp and ceremony preceding the match which, it must be said, is not saying much as this was arguably the worst opening ceremony to any major tournament I’ve ever seen in my life. Perhaps, in retrospect, the Tricolores failed on embarrassment after watching their multi-coloured, quasi-American Football, Tour de France-helmeted, dodgy-shorts-wearing countrymen prancing aimlessly around the Stade de France for 30 mins."

But besides that, opening ceremonies are meant to be rich in symbolism and meaning, portraying a depth of the host nation's cultural heritage and involvement in the sport. Now, with France having the art history it has, one could be forgiven to expect a show with flare (one of their rugby side's better characteristics), pomp and relevance. Gosh, did the French miss the proverbial boat on this one!

If you didn't see it, you can watch this video shot of one of the rehearsals (which incidentally is better choreographed than the final performance).