All Blacks captain Sam Cane has pulled out of tonight’s opener through injury. Tupou Vaa’i will now start at 6 with Brodie Retallick drafted into the bench.
Around half of the All Blacks squad will celebrate their first ever Rugby World Cup appearance while others are returning for their second, third or even fourth appearance. The match will mark an extra special occasion for prop Nepo Laulala and first-five eighths Richie Mo’unga who are both set to earn their 50th Test caps.
Anton Lienert-Brown has been named to play alongside Rieko Ioane in a midfield that has a combined 126 appearances in the Test arena. Fellow midfielder Jordie Barrett was ruled out due to injury, joining Brodie Retallick, Emoni Narawa, Shannon Frizell and Tyrel Lomax on the list of unavailable players.
“It is a privilege to play in the opening game of Rugby World Cup 2023,” said All Blacks head coach Ian Foster. “What makes it extra special is playing the host nation who are a very proud and in-form team.
“World Cups are different. The intitial goal is to qualify for the quarterfinals and to do that we must build our game through the pool stage. That starts in game one, where we have an opportunity to compete against one of the clear tournament favourites.”
The teams will set a record for the most meetings between two countries at the Rugby World Cup. Friday’s match will be their eighth meeting, with their first encounter taking place in the final of the inaugural tournament in 1987. Over nine tournaments they have played each other in one pool match (2011), two quarterfinals (2007, 2015), one semifinal (1999), one bronze final (2003) and two finals (1987, 2011).
1 Ethan de Groot
2 Codie Taylor
3 Nepo Laulala
4 Samuel Whitelock
5 Scott Barrett
6 Tupou Vaa’i
7 Dalton Papali’i
8 Ardie Savea (c)
9 Aaron Smith
10 Richie Mo’unga
11 Mark Telea
12 Anton Lienert-Brown
13 Rieko Ioane
14 Will Jordan
15 Beauden Barrett
Replacements:
16 Samisoni Taukei’aho
17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi
18 Fletcher Newell
19 Brodie Retallick
20 Luke Jacobson
21 Finlay Christie
22 David Havili
23 Leicester Fainga’anuku
• Head coach Ian Foster has named 12 survivors in his match-day 23 from the last time they played France in 2021.
• Sam Whitelock will play his 20th Rugby World Cup test, he trails only England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw who share the all-time appearance record with 22 matches.
• Richie Mo’unga will earn his 50th cap for New Zealand after making his debut off the bench against France in Dunedin in 2018.
• Nepo Laulala will earn his 50th cap for New Zealand after making his debut against Samoa in 2015. This will be his second start of 2023 after playing three of his four games off the bench.
• New Zealand have already had 16 different try-scorers this season across five tests played, with only Will Jordan, Aaron Smith, Rieko Ioane and Shannon Frizell crossing on more than one occasion.
• Jordan has scored 23 tries in 25 tests since making his All Blacks debut in 2020. He is still chasing his first career try against France after playing 51 minutes in Paris in 2021 without scoring.
Rugby Quiz:
Will Greenwood predicts entire 2023 Rugby World Cup with early exit for Australia
Ahead of the Rugby World Cup, former England and Lions centre Will Greenwood has played Telegraph Sport’s interactive predictor to pick his winner.
Make a Greene King pub your Rugby Rendezvous. Watch the big games on the big screens they deserve. Enjoy having great food and drink on tap. Take your pick of juicy match-ups with all the home nations, global giants, and 15-a-side superstars ready to ruck.
Click here to check the fixtures and find your nearest Rugby Rendezvous.
The upcoming Rugby World Cup will mark the tenth edition of the tournament and will be the first one to be entirely held in France. Unlike the 2007 event, which was also hosted by France but had some matches played in Cardiff and Edinburgh, all matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will take place within France’s borders.
In the past, the 1991 Rugby World Cup was co-hosted by France, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, while the first three tournaments in 1987, 1991, and 1995 featured 16 participating teams. However, starting from 1999 and continuing into the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the number of teams competing has increased to 20.
The previous Rugby World Cup, held in 2019 in Japan, saw New Zealand striving for their third consecutive Webb Ellis Cup. Despite their strong efforts, they finished in third place, and South Africa emerged as the champions by defeating England 32-12 in Yokohama on November 2nd.
As the host nation for the 2023 tournament, France will have a unique opportunity to not only organize the event independently but also to vie for victory in front of their home fans, hoping to join the elite group of nations that have both hosted and won the Rugby World Cup.
You can play your own predictor experience here.
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