As tone-setting opening nights go it is difficult to imagine anything more inviting than a renewal of the rivalry between France and New Zealand. Perhaps the hosts would prefer a more forgiving start to the second tournament to take place in L’hexagone, but they have a knack of getting the better of the All Blacks at Rugby World Cups. Which team will nail their preparation, selection and tactics on opening night? Depending which way the ball bounces, the victors will carry precious confidence and momentum into the rest of the campaign. Then again, South Africa were beaten by the All Blacks in the 2019 pool stage before winning the trophy.
In view of the fact that defeat will not end either nation’s hopes of progress, expect conservatism to be cast out in favour of positivity and heads-up rugby at the Stade de France. The sport as a whole cannot afford to fluff its lines over the next two months, and France v New Zealand is the safest possible bet to launch the tournament on an upbeat note.
Pressure and home fans’ expectation will be a factor for France – in 2007 they lost the tournament’s high-stakes opener against Argentina – and plenty has been invested in maximising the hosts’ chances of lifting the trophy for the first time. Fabien Galthié’s side are made of stronger stuff this time and the meticulousness of Shaun Edwards, the defence coach who contributed so much to Wales’s success under Warren Gatland, has made them harder to break down. Not to mention the fact that Galthié, a legendary scrum-half as a player, places an emphasis on offloading and unstructured attacking that is extremely difficult to defend against. The recent loss of their first-choice fly-half, Romain Ntamack, to injury is a significant blow but Les Bleus possess the depth to cope.
Uruguay and Namibia are unlikely to present many problems for the two highest-ranked nations but Italy are on the rise under Kieran Crowley and gave France a serious scare in the Six Nations this year. The Azzurri were hunting the winning try at the end of an eventual five-point Rome defeat that Edwards said showed “an incredible amount of improvement” from Crowley’s squad. Italy’s 57-7 dismantling of Romania in their final warm-up suggests they are tuning up satisfactorily, although that came after defeats by Scotland and Ireland.
Barring upsets later, the opening match in Paris will determine the winner of Pool A, although finishing first does not mean a significantly easier path considering the opposition that awaits. South Africa and Ireland are widely expected to progress from Pool B, with Scotland also capable of forcing their way into the last eight. Uruguay will seek to build on their memorable victory against Fiji four years ago while for Namibia, the search for a first World Cup victory continues at their seventh consecutive Rugby World Cup.
Key match France v New Zealand has produced some of the Rugby World Cup’s most memorable encounters. If the opener proves to be close and dramatic – and particularly if the hosts emerge victorious – the tournament will be off to the strongest of starts.
France
Coach Fabien Galthié Captain Antoine Dupont Best RWC finish Runners-up 1987, 1999, 2011.
Key player Antoine Dupont, a classical French-style No 9 with a modern twist. Leads from the front and dictates the attack.
The shrewd stewardship of Fabien Galthié and the work of his accomplished band of coaches has transformed France into a supremely cohesive unit with a straightforward game plan. They possess an often devastating blend of attacking panache, forward power and defensive discipline, with destructive ball carriers such as the centres, Gaël Fickou and Jonathan Danty, personifying the squad’s mix of skill and strength. From the heavyweight prop Uini Atonio to the richly talented 20-year-old wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey and the ever-threatening wing Damian Penaud, Les Bleus present danger all over the pitch.
Forwards
Dorian Aldegheri (10 caps) Toulouse; Grégory Alldritt (41), La Rochelle; Uini Atonio (52), La Rochelle; Cyril Baille (44), Toulouse; Paul Boudehent (2), La Rochelle; Pierre Bourgarit (10), La Rochelle; François Cros (21), Toulouse; Sipili Falatea (13), Bordeaux-Bègles; Thibaud Flament (18), Toulouse; Jean-Baptiste Gros (24), Toulon; Anthony Jelonch (25), Toulouse; Sekou Macalou (18), Stade Français; Julien Marchand (30), Toulouse; Peato Mauvaka (23), Toulouse; Charles Ollivon (3), Toulon; Romain Taofifenua (43), Lyon; Reda Wardi (9), La Rochelle; Paul Willemse (30), Montpellier; Cameron Woki (21), Racing 92.
Backs
Baptiste Couilloud (12), Lyon; Louis Bielle-Biarrey (3), Bordeaux-Bègles; Jonathan Danty (22), La Rochelle; Antoine Dupont (48), Toulouse; Gaël Fickou (80), Racing 92; Antoine Hastoy (4), La Rochelle; Matthieu Jalibert (25), Bordeaux-Bègles; Melvyn Jaminet (14), Toulouse; Maxime Lucu (15), Bordeaux-Bègles; Yoram Moefana (18), Bordeaux-Bègles; Damian Penaud (43), Bordeaux-Bègles; Thomas Ramos (26), Toulouse; Gabin Villière (13), RC Toulon; Arthur Vincent (16) Montpellier.
New Zealand
Coach Ian Foster Captain Sam Cane Best RWC finish Champions 1987, 2011, 2015.
Key player Richie Mo’unga, the fly-half who makes the team tick and interchanges seamlessly with the full-back Beauden Barrett.
The consensus seems to be that the All Blacks lack the outright quality that won them titles in 2011 and 2015 but victory in the Rugby Championship this year – including an awesome display to defeat the world champions, South Africa, in Auckland – suggests they will be a match for anyone. The three-times winners fell to a humbling 35-7 defeat by South Africa in their final warm-up match at Twickenham, but perhaps that will only make them hungrier. If the fly-half Richie Mo’unga can replicate his Super Rugby form, he can pull the strings in a magnificently talented back line.
Forwards
Scott Barrett (61 caps), Super Rugby: Crusaders; Province: Taranaki; Sam Cane (89), Chiefs/Bay of Plenty; Dane Coles (86), Hurricanes/ Province; Ethan de Groot (16), Highlanders/Southland; Shannon Frizell (28), Highlanders/Tasman; Luke Jacobson (14), Chiefs/Waikato; Nepo Laulala (49), Blues/Counties Manukau; Tyrel Lomax (26), Hurricanes/Tasman; Fletcher Newell (7), Crusaders/Canterbury; Dalton Papali’i (25), Blues/Counties Manukau; Brodie Retallick (103), Chiefs/Hawke's Bay; Ardie Savea (74), Hurricanes/Wellington; Samisoni Taukei’aho (24), Chiefs/Waikato; Codie Taylor (79), Crusaders/Canterbury; Ofa Tu’ungafasi (53), Blues/Northland; Samuel Whitelock (145), Crusaders/Canterbury; Tamaiti Williams (2) Crusaders/Canterbury; Tupou Vaa’i (2), Chiefs/Taranaki.
Backs
Beauden Barrett (115), Blues/Taranaki; Jordie Barrett (51), Hurricanes/Taranaki); Finlay Christie (17), Blues/Tasman; Caleb Clarke (18), Blues/Auckland; Leicester Fainga’anuku (3), Crusaders/Tasman; David Havili (25), Crusaders/Tasman; Rieko Ioane (62), Blues/Auckland; Will Jordan (24), Crusaders/Tasman; Anton Lienert-Brown (62), Chiefs/Waikato; Damian McKenzie (42), Chiefs/Waikato; Richie Mo'unga (48), Crusaders/Canterbury; Emoni Narawa (1), Chiefs/Bay of Plenty; Cam Roigard (1) Hurricanes/Counties Manukau; Aaron Smith (118), Highlanders/Manawatū; Mark Telea (4), Blues/North Harbour.
Italy
Coach Kieran Crowley Captain Michele Lamaro Best RWC finish Pool stage.
Key player The seasoned fly-half, centre and full-back, Tommaso Allan, returns for a third World Cup and will aim to unleash the pace of Ange Capuozzo and co.
A winless 2023 Six Nations followed their famous victory in Cardiff in 2022, but there is little doubt Italy are making progress under Kieran Crowley. Their improving attack posed problems for all their European opponents and that narrow defeat by France showed the Azzurri are capable of mixing it with the world’s best. The diminutive wing Ange Capuozzo continues to dazzle with his pace and nose for the try-line, while the Montpellier fly-half Paolo Garbisi is growing in stature. Losing the centre Tommaso Menoncello was a setback, but Italy still harbour hopes of inflicting a shock defeat on New Zealand or France.
Forwards
Luca Bigi (47 caps); Club: Zebre; Lorenzo Cannone (11) Benetton; Niccolò Canone (32) Benetton; Pietro Ceccarelli (28) Perpignan; Epalahame Faiva (7) unattached; Simone Ferrari (46) Benetton; Danilo Fischetti (32) Zebre; Toa Halafihi (11) Benetton; Michele Lamaro (28) Benetton; Dino Lamb (2) Harlequins; Sebastian Negri (47) Benetton; Ivan Nemer (12) Benetton; Giacomo Nicotera (14) Benetton; Giovanni Pettinelli (13) Benetton; Marco Riccioni (22) Saracens; Federico Ruzza (44) Benetton; David Sisi (28) Zebre; Federico Zani (23) Benetton; Manuel Zuliani (12) Benetton.
Backs
Tommaso Allan (74) Perpignan; Juan Ignacio Brex (25) Benetton; Pierre Bruno (13) Zebre; Ange Capuozzo (11) Toulouse; Giacomo Da Re (2) Benetton; Alessandro Fusco (15) Zebre; Alessandro Garbisi (6) Benetton; Paolo Garbisi (26) Montpellier; Montanna Ioane (20) Lyon; Luca Morisi (46) unattached; Paolo Odogwu (2) Benetton; Martin Page-Relo (1) Lyon; Lorenzo Pani (3) Zebre; Stephen Varney (20) Gloucester.
Uruguay
Coach Esteban Meneses Captain Andrés Vilaseca Best RWC finish Pool stage.
Key player The scrum-half Santiago Arata has been playing for Castres in the south of France since 2020, so will bring top-level experience and local knowledge.
Uruguay’s 2019 triumph against Fiji in Kamaishi was a sensation and the lofty ambition for Los Teros this time will be a third-placed pool finish to guarantee qualification for the next World Cup. Signs are positive after qualification as the top-ranked team in the Americas region, following victory against USA. Their most winnable fixture comes on 27 September, against Namibia in Lyon, with the pool campaign bookended by trickier dates with France (14 September) and the All Blacks (5 October).
Forwards
Felipe Aliaga Peñarol; Diego Arbelo Peñarol; Manuel Ardao Peñarol; Matías Benítez Peñarol; Lucas Bianchi Peñarol; Santiago Civetta Peñarol; Carlos Deus Peñarol; Manuel Diana Peñarol; Eric Dosantos Peñarol; Ignacio Dotti Peñarol; Facundo Gattas Old Glory; Germán Kessler Provence; Manuel Leindekar Bayonne; Ignacio Péculo Peñarol; Reinaldo Piussi Peñarol; Guillermo Pujadas Peñarol; Manuel Rodríguez Peñarol; Mateo Sanguinetti Peñarol.
Backs
Juan Manuel Alonso Peñarol; Santiago Álvarez Peñarol; Baltazar Amaya Old Boys; Santiago Arata Castres; Felipe Arcos Pérez Old Boys; Bautista Basso Old Boys; Felipe Berchesi Dax Felipe Etcheverry Peñarol; Ignacio Facciolo CTM; Nicolás Freitas Vannes; Tomás Incarte Peñarol; Gastón Mieres Peñarol; Agustín Ormaechea Nice; Rodrigo Silva Peñarol; Andrés Vilaseca Vannes.
Namibia
Coach Allister Coetzee Captain Johan Deysel Best RWC finish Pool stage.
Key player Johan Deysel. The captain has been a stalwart of the side since 2013: his try against the All Blacks in 2015 provided Namibia with their most memorable World Cup moment.
Namibia winning a match in their seventh consecutive Rugby World Cup, after 22 attempts, would be a wonderful story that would also highlight the imbalanced nature of the tournament. Matt Proudfoot, the South African forwards coach who helped the Boks to victory in 2019 before working for England, was recently appointed to the backroom team. The centre Johan Deysel’s try against the All Blacks was their take-home moment from the 2015 tournament in England, and they came tantalisingly close to recording a first win that year, losing against Georgia by a single point at Sandy Park. A less happy memory is the record 142-0 defeat by the Wallabies in Adelaide in 2003.
*Forwards
Jason Benade University of Namibia; Adriaan Booysen Dallas Jackals; Aranos Coetzee Cheetahs; Wian Conradie New England Free Jacks; Tiaan de Klerk Mogliano; Prince Gaoseb Tel Aviv Heat; Richard Hardwick Melbourne Rebels; Max Katjijeko Tel Aviv Heat; Adriaan Ludick Limoges; Johan Retief Griquas; Desiderius Sethie University of Namibia; Mahepisa Tjeriko University of Namibia; Tjiuee Uanivi Montauban; Louis van der Westhuizen Cheetahs; Torsten van Jaarsveld Bayonne; PJ van Lill Capbreton Hossegor; Casper Viviers Baulois.
Backs
Oela Blaauw University of Johannesburg; Danco Burger Wanderers; Johan Deysel Colomiers, captain; JC Greyling Wanderers; Cliven Loubser Utah Warriors; Le Roux Malan New England Free Jacks; Gerswin Mouton Wits University; Chad Plato Kudus; Alcino Isaacs Boland Cavaliers; Divan Rossouw Lions; Damian Stevens New Orleans Gold; Tiaan Swanepoel Lions; Jacques Theron Wanderers; Andre van der Berg Wanderers.
*Two additional players to be confirmed
Fixtures (all times BST)
8 September France v New Zealand, Paris, 8.15pm
9 September Italy v Namibia, Saint Étienne, 12pm
14 September France v Uruguay, Lille, 8pm
15 September New Zealand v Namibia, Toulouse, 8pm
20 September Italy v Uruguay, Nice, 4.45pm
21 September France v Namibia, Marseille, 8pm
27 September Uruguay v Namibia, Lyon, 4.45pm
29 September New Zealand v Italy, Lyon, 8pm
5 October New Zealand v Uruguay, Lyon, 8pm
6 October France v Italy, Lyon, 8pm
