Rugby World Cup 2023: Why will France vs New Zealand start at 9:15pm?

Exceptionally, the Rugby World Cup opener between France and New Zealand will kick off on Friday at 9:15pm.

Specific timetable. The opening match of the Rugby World Cup between France and New Zealand is highly anticipated on Friday. But unlike other matches in the competition scheduled for the evening, this encounter will kick off at 9:15 p.m., not 9 p.m. It was postponed by a quarter of an hour due to the opening ceremony, which will also take place at the Stade de France shortly before that.

22 minutes to warm up

It will start at 8pm and last about thirty minutes with a program including a show co-written by Jean Dujardin, the French League and fireworks. Once the celebrations are over, the two teams will enter the field for warm-ups, which are timed at exactly 22 minutes. Even if Fabien Galthiet was hoping for a little support.

“World Rugby has given us the right to go out for 22 minutes but we hope to have 24 minutes,” said the French XV coach with a touch of humour. The Blues, who will play in white, and the All Blacks will then return to the dressing room to finish preparations before returning for the national anthem and then kick-off, which will officially launch the 10th Rugby World Cup in history.