The third edition of the WTF (World Touch Festival) took place on Saturday, June 29, under radiant weather conditions. The event went off without a hitch, strictly following the planned schedule, and couldn’t have started better than with a breakfast from Paremi featuring superb croissants. Music was on, players were ready for a great day!
Another highlight of the day was the collective warm-up led by Vikas to the tune of “Call On Me.” Thanks Vikas who did a fabulous job with both serious & hilarious moves!
The pool matches were fiercely contested on the “Casa de Papel” field. The mercenaries “Les Barbarians” managed to advance from the pool stage along with the U18s. “Les Castagnettes” and “The Power Ladies” fought hard but were ultimately defeated. However, the coach of “The Power Ladies,” Fabian, received the fair play award for his outstanding sportsmanship.
On the “Other” field, an incredible scenario unfolded with three teams out of four finishing with two wins each: ” Expendables,” “CU Mondays,” and “Les Vachettes.”. Unfortunately, “Les Vachettes,” representing the elite of the tournament-organizing touch section of the Stade Rugby, were eliminated on goal average but redeemed themselves with a fine victory over the “Power Ladies” to finish fifth in the tournament.
The semi-finals began with a relatively one-sided match between CU Mondays and Les Barbarians, resulting in a victory for the flamboyant CU Mondays. A big bravo to our two guests from Prague, who helped the mercenary team reach this stage with an impeccable tactical strategy. Unfortunately, the other semi-final did not showcase a very positive image, as tensions among players became uncontrollable. The referee wisely decided to interrupt the match, awarding victory to the youngest team, the U18.
The final match was a display of high-level rugby between CU Mondays and U18. Despite their individual skills and passing abilities, the U18s struggled to adapt to touch rules and occasionally lacked pragmatism, which cost them the final. CU Mondays celebrated their victory in true Formula 1 style with a beottle of Sekt, and downing victory beers in the superb WTF3 glasses.
The afternoon continued pleasantly with a delicious barbecue provided by the Stadium, also a sponsor of the event. A big thank you to them. The evening concluded with a pétanque tournament/dance floor mix, which turned out to be a great combination. The most tenacious participants stayed until 5 am, just 3 hours short of making it the 24 Hours of WTF!
Thank you all for participating in the craziest tournament in Europe! Thank you for all the smiles and appreciation! It warmed our hearts, and we look forward to next year!
Clement, Julien, Nico & Benji, WTF truck drivers
