Thousands of rugby fans were left feeling angry and disappointed after Ireland's Six Nations match against France was called off just before kick off in Paris last night.
Match referee Dave Pearson took the decision shortly before 9pm due to concerns over the pitch at the Stade de France after a week of sub-zero temperatures in the French capital.
As dejected fans poured out of the stadium, less than 20 minutes after many of them had passed through the turnstiles, the authorities came in for sharp criticism over their handling of events.
"I think that decision could have been made ages ago. It could have stopped people traveling from Ireland if they didn't want to," said Michael Carroll from Dublin. He suggested commercial considerations could have been influential in leaving the decision to the last minute despite severe cold having been forecast all week.
"They let us know 10 minutes after the kick off was supposed to happen. I think it's down to getting people in to buy merchandise, buy beer, and for the sponsors to get the audience," said Laura Wall, who had also travelled from Dublin.
Tickets for last night's postponed match will be valid for the re-fixture, but many Irish supporters said the trip had cost them hundreds if not thousands of euro on flights and hotels.
"It's absolutely disgraceful," said Michael McGilligan from Blackrock in Dublin as he waited for a suburban train back to Paris at 11pm. McGilligan and his wife Barbara, from Blackrock in Dublin, had spent EUR 2,000 to bring their family to Paris as a Christmas present for their 10-year-old son Myki.
The pitch at the Stade de France does not have undersoil heating, but groundsmen had covered it in tarpaulin and artificially heated it since last Sunday's match against Italy. It passed a referee's inspection two hours before the scheduled kick off time, but as darkness fell and temperatures dipped, frozen patches formed on one side of the ground.
“Unfortunately the referee has deemed the pitch is too dangerous. It’s dangerous to play on it,” Six Nations communications officer Christine Connolly announced shortly after 9pm.
Some of the many French fans who had travelled long distances for the match said even they would not return for the rescheduled match, which is likely to take place on Friday, March 2nd. Among them were sisters Audrey and Nadège Maumus, who had spent .€300 each to fly from their home in the rugby heartland of Toulouse.
"At first I was disappointed, but now we're angry at the organisers. They waited until the stadium was full - 80,000 people who came from all over France and Ireland - even though the weather forecast was clear for days," said Audrey. "We've known for two weeks that the temperatures would be below zero… It shows such a lack of respect."
