All you need to know ahead of the Rugby World Cup opener between the All Blacks and France at Stade de France.
What’s on: All Blacks v France.
Where: Stade de France, Paris.
When is kick-off time? 7.15am Saturday NZT
All Blacks v France kickoff time, how to watch in NZ, live streaming, teams, odds
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What’s on the line?
Warm-ups are finished, this is the Rugby World Cup. France and the All Blacks are expected to make it out of their pool with relative ease but winning your first match of any tournament, let alone a World Cup, increases the blood pressure of players, coaches and fans ever so slightly.
The All Blacks and France haven’t played each other since 2021, when France recorded a famous 40-25 victory – their first in Paris against New Zealand in 48 years. Before that, it was the 2018 Steinlager Series in which the All Blacks won all three matches, including a 52-11 drubbing at Eden Park.
But what has changed since then? The All Blacks have bolstered their coaching staff since 2021, adding Jo Schmidt and Jason Ryan as attacking and forwards coaches respectively. Schmidt in particular may know a thing or two about France, having gone toe-to-toe with them in his time coaching Ireland in the Six Nations. From seven encounters, his Irishmen recorded six victories.
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The French enter the Rugby World Cup as one of the tournament favourites. They sit third in world rankings, are playing at home and have a chance to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time – but Romain Ntamack, who sparked the counter attack that was the defining moment of the match the last time the two sides met, will not be lacing up his boots; a knee-ligament injury ended his tournament before it began.
What colour jersey are the All Blacks wearing?
The side will be wearing black against France after team managers drew lots ahead of the tournament. France will be in white despite being the home team.
What the coaches say
Ian Foster:
“We’re in a good place. We’ve had a good prep, a great Rugby Championship. If you look at the performances against South Africa, Australia and suddenly we’re World Cup favourites and then we don’t do well at Twickenham in a warm-up game and suddenly we’re the worst All Blacks team ever. We smile at that, and we’re quite excited about where we’re at.
“I think the fact we’ve got a few that haven’t played in a World Cup is a strength. They’re excited and our goal is to make sure we don’t burden them with too much pressure so they can do what they do.”
Fabien Galthié:
“This match will be a party, a joy, an immense happiness, it’s marvellous. An invisible force needs to be born in these moments. The watchword is to play, to enjoy ourselves, to love each other a lot. We’re feeling very light, very happy to play this game.
“This match against the All Blacks is a challenge in every part of rugby. You need to control the emotions that surround these events. We’ve prepared to be the best we possibly can be in this area.”
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The weather
It’s hot in Paris. Expect between 32C and 34C. Sunny with patches of cloud.
How the sides line up
All Blacks:
New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith; 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Dalton Papali’i, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot. Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 David Havili, 23 Leicester Fainga’anuku.
France:
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France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gaël Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain); 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 François Cros, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Réda Wardi. Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Maxime Lucu, 22 Arthur Vincent, 23 Melvyn Jaminet.
TAB odds
All Blacks: $2 Draw: $18 France: $2
How to follow the action
For live commentary of All Blacks v France, join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio.
You can watch the game on Sky Sport 1 and live streaming on Sky Sport Now; an alternative commentary option from the Alternative Commentary Collective is available on iHeartRadio and Hauraki.
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You can also follow live updates at nzherald.co.nz.
Get full coverage of the Rugby World Cup.
