Final four.

The quarter-final stages of the Rugby World Cup took place over the weekend and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Argentina advanced at Wales’ expense on Saturday afternoon before number-one-ranked Ireland were knocked out by the All Blacks later that evening in a Test match for the ages.

On Sunday, England just about overcame Fiji in a close contest before hosts France took on holders South Africa at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, in one of the greatest Rugby World Cup games in history.

The Springboks edged that one by a single point leaving just four teams remaining and one clear favourite – according to the bookies at least.

The Boks are now odds on at 10/11 to go all the way, with New Zealand behind them at 6/5. Despite being in the final four, England and Argentina can be got as high as 14/1 and 40/1 respectively.

The weekend also served as a farewell to host city Marseille, with the semi-finals and final set to take place in Paris.

We were in Marseille for a special trip to watch South Africa vs Tonga thanks to Atout France and we could not recommend the city more for anyone thinking of visiting.

We took the Colorbus tour to see the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica (the highest point of view in the city) before heading to the Stade Vélodrome for that cracker between the Boks and Tonga.

The following day we checked out the Cosquer Cave before visiting the National Museum of Marseille before an afternoon visit to Les Docks and the Panier neighbourhood. Our pizza dinner at the Chez Jeannot that night was incredible.

Then on our final full day, we went on a tour of the Calanques National Park before trying Marseille’s famous bouillabaisse at Le Miramar.

A truly stunning city that you have to visit when you get a chance.

Be sure to follow the accounts below too and visit marseille-tourisme.com for more information on Marseille.

– @explorefrance
– @choosemarseille
– @marseilleexperience

READ MORE ON MARSEILLE:

• Marseille: our tips for thrilling during the Rugby World Cup (france.fr)
• Official website of the Tourist Office of Marseille (marseille-tourisme.com)
• Welcome to Provence, Alpes and Côte d’Azur (provence-alpes-cotedazur.com)