Allez les Bleus. On a night where the Stade de France resembled a sweaty mess of nerves and high emotion, France got the Rugby World Cup off to a thumping start with a 27-13 victory over New Zealand.
It was the first time the All Blacks, three-time winners of the tournament, had ever lost a pool match. No wonder France were serenaded off the pitch by nearly 80,000 fans, with a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise.
