Stade Francais v. Connacht - 23rd January 2022 - 2 p.m. KO

After several days of heated debate, French MPs earlier this morning approved a bill to turn the country's health pass into a vaccine pass. This means a vaccine pass, including a booster for those over 18, will be required to enter France from a date to be determined but likely to be later in January.

Note: as a general rule, the French government considers one bout of Covid as the equivalent to receiving one dose of vaccine.

Booster certs allegedly being sent out tomorrow for those who've had them here anyway.

Looks like the new rules will allow the Anglo/French games to proceed (depending on how you interpret them):

"Among other things, it is possible to travel between France and the UK (in both directions) for reasons linked to the pursuit of an economic activity requiring presence on site, which cannot be postponed (with proof from employer)."

uk.ambafrance.org/COVID-19-rules-for-tra...nce-and-the-UK-28918

And apparently it's going ahead ...

twitter.com/MarcoDuzan/status/1479358836544880640 twitter.com/MarcoDuzan/status/1479358836544880640

This is all looking so well I'm starting to feel uneasy.

Stade sent out an email this am to all members letting them know that the game is almost sold out so if you haven't bought a ticket yet please do so!

Already posted elsewhere on the forum but....Good luck to everyone travelling!
Make sure you have surgical masks and your entry papers in order.
The stadium is easy to find: it's in the 16th district on metro lines 9 (stops Michel-Ange Molitor or Exelmans) and 10 (Porte d'Auteuil).
Stade Jean Bouin is about five minutes walk from each. Follow signs for PSG Parc des Princes (they share the same location and the PSG superstore is in the rugby stadium). The Viaduc bar is close to Molitor and worth a stop before the game.
There are lots of bars and restaurants in the neighbourhoood if you want to eat or drink after the game but it's not the liveliest part of the city.
Bon voyage!

How I got back to my hotel is destined to remain one of life's enduring mysteries, but my phone didn't make it. I assume it made it's way back to the mid nineties, where it (and frankly I) truly belong. But keep an eye out for me near the stadium, especially if you happen to have my ticket.

EDIT: Stand down red alert. Phone located subsequent to brief disassembly of bed.

Well the good news is ... we're guaranteed a "home" semi-final (back in our usual premium-level seats in Lansdowne). Our opponents would be one of Ulster/Munster, who are ranked above us, or Toulouse/Exeter, who are below, so it's Dublin either way. To get a home QF, we need Clermont to beat Leicester over the two legs. Simples.
I know people will be disappointed we won't get another trip to France for a while, but there's always Marseille.
Now where did I put that bottle of pastis? I was only halfway through it ...