The 2023 Rugby World Cup gets underway this Friday night, with a blockbuster opening contest taking centre stage to kick-start the tournament. Two of the competition favourites are set to clash in Pool A, as the host nation France welcomes the All Blacks to Paris.
Both sides are star-studded with some of the word’s best players, as the likes of Antoine Dupont and Beauden Barrett are set to light-up the Stade de France on Friday September 8th. Along with the Springboks and Ireland, these two sides make up half out of the front-running quartet, that are tipped to win the Web Ellis Trophy on Saturday, October 28th.
Due to the draw for the 2023 Rugby World Cup taking place in December 2020, today’s top five ranked rugby nations (along with Scotland in fifth), all find themselves pilled together in either Pool A or Pool B. This got us thinking as to how dominant an ‘All Bleus’ team would be, if New Zealand and France combined their efforts to go after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
We are considering the current form of the players for this combined squad, which means that any recent injuries will write players out of competing for the ‘All Bleus’. So unfortunately, despite being one of the finest fly halves in the world, France’s Romain Ntamack misses out on this squad following his ACL injury, that has ended his hopes to bring Les Bleus their first ever Web Ellis Trophy.
Here our are picks for a combined France and New Zealand ‘All Bleus’ squad, for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
BACK THREE
15. Beauden Barrett (New Zealand and Blues/Toyota Verblitz)
14. Damien Penaud (France and Bordeaux-Begles)
11. Ethan Dumortier (France and Lyon)
We start off the squad with two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett in at fullback. Granted, the Auckland Blues man is more than capable of running the show from fly half, yet All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster has preferred to utilise Barrett in the 15 jersey as of late. Barrett’s joined by the frightening wing partnership of France’s Damien Penaud and Ethan Dumortier.
Penaud is hot on the heels of South Africa’s Cheslin Kolbe, for the accolade of being the best right winger in the world. 22-year-old Dumortier had his international break-out in the 2023 Six Nations, with a try on his debut against Scotland. The flying Frenchman followed this up with a try against England, as Fabien Galthie’s men handed England their heaviest ever defeat at Twickenham (10-53).
CENTRES
13. Gael Fickou (France and Racing 92)
12. Jordie Barrett (New Zealand and Hurricanes)
This could well have been an all-French midfield, if it was not for the unfortunate injury to Jonathan Danty. Arguably the best inside centre in the world, Danty suffered a reported ‘slight’ hamstring injury in France’s recent Summer Nations Series win over Australia, and is a doubt for the Rugby World Cup opener. New Zealand’s Jordie Barrett comes in for him, for a more than capable replacement.
The Hurricanes star is as versatile as they come, with proven sound performances across the centres, fullback, both wings and even at fly half. The ability to cover multiple positions comes naturally to the Barrett backs, with Jordie joining big brother Beauden in our ‘All Bleus’ squad. France playmaker Gael Fickou partners up alongside him, after a starring role in France’s ‘grand slamming’ 2022 Six Nations, as well as a ‘team of the tournament’ performance in the latest Six Nations championship.