Rugby fans in Europe have been getting up early since 9 September because of the Rugby World Cup being played… in New Zealand! That means a 12 hour time difference (or 11 hours after NZ switched to summer time last week). In France, you therefore need to be in front of your TV at 4:30 am to watch some matches - which may mean tired faces at work later on!

I am lucky enough, like I was in 2003, not to have this problem. At the start of September, I left my desk at Societe Generale’s Regional management division in Bordeaux, where I take care of sporting partnerships and manage commercial offers for top-level sportspersons in order to fly out to New Zealand as a sporting consultant for French broadcaster France Télévisions. Since then, I’ve been to Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Rotorua and Invercahill, and provided live commentary on various pool matches such as USA-Russia, Argentina-Romania and Italy-USA.

The atmosphere at Rugby World Cup 2011 is very different from the previous tournaments. In 2003 (in Australia) and 2007 (in France) there was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for every match, which created a real party atmosphere. This time around, it is clear that New Zealanders are only really interested in their own team, the All Blacks. They remain relatively indifferent to the other matches, even if some of them like dressing up to go and support the smaller teams while others go to watch Australia play, just to support whoever the opponents of their nearest neighbour and main rival. Luckily the country is full of visiting supporters from other countries who take a lot of pride in getting behind their teams and brightening up the stadiums!

As for the rugby itself, I’ve noticed that the smaller rugby nations are closing the gap on the traditional favourites. Japan, Canada and the USA have all shown a lot of promise in their matches, even if this has not been enough to upset the hierarchy. The only real surprise so far has been Ireland’s victory against Australia. We’ll have to wait for the knockout round to see if the northern hemisphere can upset the southern dominance.

The French team’s performance is in line with predictions. They lost to the All Blacks due to the usual problems of speed, approach to contact and concentration. In the other matches, France is consistent with previous World Cups, with 40 point victories over Canada and Japan. The French aren’t yet firing on all cylinders, but Australia’s defeat to Ireland has simplified the path to the final, which is not an impossible target.

I’m coming back to France on 3 October with wonderful memories of some great rugby and stunning landscapes. The competition will grow in intensity with the start of the knockout round. I just hope that the higher stakes don’t stifle the game on the pitch!