Ruby fans will not be deterred

Thousands of Britons are crossing the channel today. Despite a dearth of tickets or hotel reservations, they are heading to Paris in droves in an attempt to catch some of the action at today’s World Cup semi-final.

At the same time that the Britons are flooding Paris for rugby, Spaniards are also heading to the French capital on their annual Columbus Day Bank Holiday vacations.

The Times estimates that most hotels in Paris are likely to be full. “People who come without booking accommodation first are taking a risk,” a spokesman for the Paris Tourist Office said.

Vicky Cheevers, a member of the England Rugby Supporters Club said that the warning would not stop the club’s 22,000 members from making the journey. “A lot of fans will be going across even if they haven’t got tickets because they want to savour the atmosphere,” she said.

In fact, a total of 40,000 England fans are expected to be in Paris today, coming to France on ferries, trains and planes. Many will end up watching the match on television at a local bar or café.

Most airlines, ferry operators and Eurostar reported a large increase on bookings from England to France around the semi-finals.

“As soon as the quarter-final matches were over last weekend there was a big response from fans wanting to travel with us,” said Eurostar spokeswoman Lesley Retallack. “There are some tickets left, but only at the high end of the price range. Many people will be taking our Brussels trains and then changing at Lille to get to Paris on French services.”

www.eurostar.com