The Blues overcame the All Blacks and registered their first World Cup win
They shined at the Stade de France. The French XV defeated the All Blacks (27-13) on Friday, September 8, during the first match of the Rugby World Cup. After the opening ceremony designed by Jean Dujardin on the theme of France Yesterday, the dream poster was waiting for the public to officially launch the competition. This opening clash was mainly about the details, between a French team that has been impressive in recent years and the All Blacks, three-time world champions. – But it is undoubtedly less frightening than in previous versions. This live stream has now ended.
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Noticeable absences, but confidence remains. The French XV lost several key players during the preparation phase, starting with fly-half Romain Ntamack, who suffered a serious knee injury and was out of the entire competition. Prop Cyril Bailly (calf), second row Paul Willemse (groin) and center Jonathan Dante (hamstring) were also missing against the All Blacks, but should be able to play in the rest of the World Cup. However, even without these executives, the French national team has made a strong impression in recent weeks, especially during the crushing victory (41-17) over Australia during the last warm-up match.
Southern Hemisphere countries are (almost) no longer scary. EntersIn 2012 and 2019, the Blues won just two of their 23 matches against the big three Southern Hemisphere nations (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa). But since 2021 and the arrival of Fabien Galthiet to the French bench, the trend has completely reversed (which also applies to other European countries): five wins in seven matches.
The long awaited Hakka. It was the first kick-off of the match, just after the national anthem, when the New Zealanders performed this ritualistic dance, which can have a destabilizing effect on an opponent. There is no doubt that the Blues have thought about their position during this very important moment. “Let’s try “To challenge, at least by appearance, to show that we are in the game and that we are ready to take on the challenge.”He offers advice to former international winger Vincent Clerc at France Info Sport, who knows a little. But the New Zealanders sang the haka without their captain, Sam Crean, who withdrew from this match.
Cooling down periods during matches. While Ile-de-France has been placed on an orange heatwave alert, the seven matches on the opening weekend of the World Cup will feature weather conditions, allowing players to drink. These refreshment breaks will take place during the normal pause in play. “The process will be managed by the referee.”, World Rugby, the organizing body, specifies in a press release. The thermometer will be approaching 30 degrees Celsius when the match between France and New Zealand kicks off.
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