Hosts France launch their quest for a first World Cup trophy against three-time champions New Zealand on Friday night. Around 80,000 fans are expected at the Stade de France for a blockbuster start to the 10th World Cup competition and seven weeks of action featuring the planet's best rugby players.
The venue just to the north of Paris will also stage the final on 28 October when the Webb Ellis trophy – named after the supposed inventor of the game – will be presented to the victorious skipper.
Antoine Dupont is under heavy pressure to be that man. Since making his debut in the French team he has blossomed into one of the best players in the world.
The 26-year-old’s mission – which seems very possible – requires his wits and wiles to steer his team to glory to atone for French defeats in the final in 1987, 1999 and 2011.
Long history
New Zealand sides have inflicted two of those defeats on the French.
“This game is not about me against him,” said the New Zealand scrum-half Aaron Smith of his highly anticipated duel with Dupont who was voted world rugby player of the year in 2021.“It is about me doing my role for the team,” Smith added. “Defensively, we will have a big eye on Dupont and what he can do, and shutting it down. But that's as a collective.
“France have got plenty of players who are very dangerous.”
After the opening match in Group A, France will take on Namibia, Italy and Uruguay and expect to reach the quarter-final knockout stages.
In the last eight, they will play one of the top two teams from Group B – dubbed the Group of Death - for containing three of the world’s best five teams in the shape of Ireland, South Africa and Scotland.
Security concerns
From a wider perspective, security and smooth runnning of the competetion is also a major concern, especially as France prepares for next year's Olympic Games.
Michel Cadot, a senior French official charged with major sporting events, told reporters several weeks ago that the World Cup is "something of a test on questions of security and other subjects, an experiment that must succeed" ahead of the Olympics next year.
International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said he was "very confident" about the organisation of the rugby extravaganza.
"I will be there for the final...it's one of the most important events, not just for rugby, but also for the Olympic movement in general," he said.
France has introduced special legislation for securing mass fixtures, which among other provisions allows for the use of so-called "intelligent" cameras supposed to aid police in spotting troublemakers or emergencies – although they have yet to be deployed.
But the state has invested a million euros in security cameras in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, the site of the Stade de France.
The police have also been authorised to use drones to observe sports matches, concerts and other large gatherings.
Up to 7,000 police will be mobilised to secure the Rugby World Cup, the ministers said, joined by as many as 6,000 private security guards, according to Jacques Rivoal, a member of the tournament's organising committee.
Pool stages
Ireland kick of their campaign on Saturday afternoon in Bordeaux against Romania and South Africa – who beat England in 2019 to claim the crown for a third time – take on Scotland on Sunday afternoon in Marseille.
🗣️ It’s business time in Bordeaux! #TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/rQRYCrgX4t
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 7, 2023
Wales, who begin their tilt for a first World Cup title against Fiji on Sunday in Bordeaux, are expected to emerge from Group C with two-time winners Australia and England’s coaches and players will aim to banish their abject recent form and steer a course through Group D past Argentina, Samoa, Japan and debutants Chile to reach the last eight.
“There’s a feeling among the players that they’ve been written off a bit too early,” said England coach Steve Borthwick of a side that has lost six of its past nine games this year.
“These players have got a hell of a lot more to go and they can’t wait to get stuck in on Saturday night against Argentina.”
