T. Nashipae2023 Rugby World Cup set for thrilling kickoff
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 08.09.23. | 11:18
The final will be on October 28 at the Stade de France
The men’s rugby world cup is finally here with us, four years since the last one was hosted in Japan.
South Africa won the last edition following a thrilling 32-12 victory over England.
This year’s Rugby World Cup will be hosted in different venues across France, including Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Lille, Lyon, Nice and Nantes.
The final will be on October 28 at the Stade de France.
Hosts France will roll up the curtains of the RWC with a match against New Zealand on Friday 8 at the Stade de France in Paris starting 10:15pm East African Time.
Head to head
These two sides have met in a total of 62 test matches, with New Zealand dominating 48 games, while France has claimed victory in 13 matches, and one ended in a draw.
It will be the eighth World Cup meeting between these two sides. The All Blacks have dominated 5/7 of their previous meetings, including the finals of both the 1987 and 2011 tournaments.
They also met in the quarterfinal of the 2015 tournament when the All Blacks recorded their biggest-ever win against France.
France are under the tutelage of Coach Fabien Galthie, a tactician who has guided the Les Blues against all odds since he took over in 2020.
His only loss on home soil came in 2021 during the Six Nations when the Frenchmen were defeated by Scotland in an empty stadium. It was during the post-covid era.
Les Blues held the world’s number-one ranking for the majority of the last 18 months until they lost the title to Ireland earlier this year. They lost to Italy and were pushed to second-place and also saw their 12-match winning streak brought to an end.
That performance saw them fall to fourth-place in the world rankings. They however moved back to third after seeing off Fiji and Australia in August.
If their performance in the build-up match to the World Cup is anything to go by, France’s performance could be worrying.
France took on Scotland in the warm-up match at Murrayfield, where they lost 25-21, but bounced back with a disappointing 30-27 win over the same opponents a week later in Saint-Etienne.
They will also be enjoying the home-based support of 80,000 fans behind them.
It is only a matter of time to see if coach Galthie will hand New Zealand their first-ever pool phase defeat at the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand’s run
The All Blacks know what it takes to win such huge games. As their norm, they will entertain fans with their traditional ‘haka’, this time in front of an away crowd.
Ian Foster’s charges secured their third consecutive title in the 2023 Rugby Championship, and ended the 7s version of the competition unbeaten.
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After the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks faced off with Wallabies, winning 23-20 before receiving a 35-7 beating from Springboks at Twickenham.
The match will be officiated by Jaco Peyper, a veteran South African referee who will be making his third World Cup appearance in a row.
Squads
France: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Gabin Villiere, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Dupont (Captain), Reda Wardi, Julian Marchand, Uini Antonio, Cameron Woki, Thibaud Flament, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Dorian Aldegheri, Romain Taofifenua, Paul Boudehent, Maxime Lucu, Arthur Vincent, Melvyn Jaminet
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Loane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Mark Telea, Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith, Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Nepo Laulala, Samuel Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Dalton Papali’i, Sam Cane (Captain), Ardie Savea
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ofa Tuungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Tupot Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson, Finlay Christie, David Havili, Leicester Fainga’anuku
