Gerry Thornley

Every stadium is full.

Bordeaux Beggars are the best-supported side in France, and they only got promoted in 2010.

It just shows you the average attendance of 34,000.

Now, it helps that this match was less than four hours down the road.

The French will travel in vast numbers if they can get to it by their car.

They don't mind how long they have to drive, but don't ask them to go to get a boat or get a plane or anything like that.

Don't get in to convince them.

I met a good friend of mine outside the ground before the match, Yannick, Yannick Gervain.

He owns the Barreau Basque in Soustan.

If anybody's listening, down in the southwest of France, near Soustan, go in in this lovely Irish Barreau Basque.

You're destined two hours to drive here to this game today.

I was outside last night and went around watching the fans that were by on Crest, Toulouse Crest, Perpignan Crest, Biarritz Crest.

They came down their droves.

And unlike Munster fans not cheering for Leinster, they will all cheer for Bordeaux-Begla.

I digress.

I was at a couple of Bordeaux-Begla matches last season.

I was lucky enough they got a home quarter and home semi, or home round of 16.

No, home quarter, home seven against Ulster and Munster.

And the atmosphere is electric.

They'd open the gates about an hour and a half before kick-off, two hours, and they're all gathering, there are thousands outside for the fans to come in, for the home bus to come in, and they greet them on the home bus.