![]() Eddie Jones, back in charge of the Wallabies after leaving England, axed veteran skipper Michael Hooper and fly-half Quade Cooper and brought in a host of youngsters. It’s a well-tested group that’s gone through a lot of adversity, stayed tight and found solutions,” he said.Īs for Australia, it is a mixed bag. While the All Blacks were made to suffer by the Boks, coach Ian Foster was blunt when asked if he thinks New Zealand can win the World Cup. ![]() Talismanic fly-half Johnny Sexton will be back to skipper Andy Farrell’s side after serving a ban for abusing referee Jaco Peyper after Sexton’s Leinster were defeated by La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final.ĭefending champions South Africa, skippered by their first black African captain Siya Kolisi, handed out a record 35-7 defeat of New Zealand in both sides’ final warmup match, a timely reminder that on its day Springbok rugby has few equals.Ĭoach Jacques Nienaber has quality oozing through his squad, from Kolisi at flanker to indefatigable scrum-half Faf de Klerk to the famed ‘bomb squad’ of replacement forward deployed en masse in the second half of games. That accolade was last claimed by Ireland, who come into the competition as the world’s No. World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont added: “It was 200 years ago that our sport was born and there can be no better place to celebrate our birthday than here in France.”įor all of France’s form, they are not the current Six Nations Grand Slam champions. Friday’s match is a celebration, a joy, a great joy for us. “This is a team that has three World Cup titles to its name. “This is a team that hasn’t lost a match in the pool phase since the World Cup began. “What could be better than New Zealand?” asked Galthie. New Zealand beat South Africa in the 2019 opener in Japan, but it was the Springboks who went on to beat England in the final. 28.Ī defeat for France would not spell disaster, however. The last major global sports event on French soil before next year’s Paris Olympics will be held in nine venues across France, which previously hosted the 2007 World Cup and also staged several matches as joint hosts of the 1991 edition.Īll eyes will be on a dream start to the tournament when France play the three-time world champion All Blacks at the Stade de France on Friday: It is a matchup many pundits predict could go full wheel to be the final, at the same stadium, on Oct. What’s more, we’re lucky enough to be hosting the competition, so we’re hoping for public support.” That hasn’t been the case over the last 10 years. “We have a promising generation of talented players who have gained experience and continuity in the backbone of the team. “We have won 80 percent of our matches and the Six Nations in 2022. “We’ve never been so well prepared,” Dupont told AFP. While the loss of fly-half Romain Ntamack to injury is a blow, France boast a deep squad with a consistency in selection often missing in previous campaigns. The time seems ripe for France, however, with Dupont key to a resurgence under coach Fabien Galthie, who has employed eye-pleasing tactics based around free-running backs and a disciplined pack. Since then, the trophy has remained firmly in the South Hemisphere: South Africa won in 20, while New Zealand triumphed in 20. The last - and only - team from the Six Nations to win the World Cup was England in 2003, when an extra-time drop-goal by Jonny Wilkinson sealed victory in Sydney over an Australian side coached by Eddie Jones. PARIS: Dynamic scrum-half Antoine Dupont will lead France into a home Rugby World Cup with hopes high that he can spark a first Northern Hemisphere victory in 20 years in the sport’s quadrennial showpiece.
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