France vs New Zealand LIVE! Rugby World Cup 2023 result, match stream, latest updates today
France vs New Zealand LIVE!
The hosts rode a wave of passionate home support to beat three-time champions New Zealand 27-13 on Friday in the opening match of the 10th Rugby World Cup, burnishing their title ambitions by prevailing in a contest of rare intensity.
The defeat was the first ever in a World Cup pool match for the All Blacks, who lost skipper Sam Cane to injury just before kick-off but opened the scoring through winger Mark Telea inside two minutes. Three penalties from fullback Thomas Ramos to one from New Zealand flyhalf Richie Mo’unga had France 9-8 ahead at the break but Telea struck again off a looping Rieko Ioane pass three minutes into the second half.
Winger Damian Penaud scored a converted try in the 54th minute to put France 16-13 ahead and Ramos added another two penalties and Melvyn Jaminet crossed for another five-pointer two minutes from time. Read back the game below with our dedicated match blog as the Rugby World Cup kicks off in Paris!
France vs New Zealand latest news
Kick-off time: 8.15pm BST, Stade de France
How to watch: ITV and ITVX
France lineup and team news
New Zealand lineup and team news
Prediction: Hosts earn narrow win
22:31 , Alex Young
Confusion over if the scoreline was 29-13 or 27-13. It turns out that Jaminet did not convert, but still a convincing win for the hosts.
Full-time!
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81min: Well, well, well. If that isn’t a marker from France, I don’t know what is.
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79min: Jaminet converts. France lead 29-13.
TRY!
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78min: That’s it! It’s been a thumping by France as Jaminet beats the bounce of the ball to roll backwards over the line to score.
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76min: Almost another try for France! New Zealand concede another penalty, which Mauvaka taps and goes for the line before being pulled back. More than 10 phases later, Penaud thinks he has popped it up for Ramos to put down, but he knocked it on in the build up.
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74min: ...and he doesn’t. France lead 22-13.
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73min: France get the chance to extend their lead after a dangerous tackle. Ramos won’t make any mistake.
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72min: Telea is replaced by Fainga’anuku.
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71min: La Marseillaise rings around the stadium as we enter the final 10 minutes.
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69min: Retallick is on for Whitelock.
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68min: NZ are getting a bit frantic now as the clock ticks down. They have never lost a World Cup pool game.
Jordan is back on.
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65min: Easy. France lead by six.
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64min: NZ give away a sloppy penalty on the 10m line. This is a gimme for Ramos.
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63min: Christie replaces Smith for the All Blacks.
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60min: Ooh, that’s uncharacteristic from Ramos who lines up a penalty around 25 yards out on the right but doesn’t get the required swing on it. France’s lead remains at there.
Jordan’s yellow will remain as a yellow after review.
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58min: Jordan is booked for a dangerous tackle and the Stade de France crowd are loving it.
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57min: Ramos converts and France lead!
TRY!
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55min: That one counts! Penaud is free on the right to run over after a superb shimmy from Jalibert.
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53min: That is a stunning tackle from Mo’unga, literally his fingertips, to get the ball off Penaud mid-dive. It’s a lineout.
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50min: Taofifenua replaces Woki for France.
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47min: The scrums have been poor so far and France need to start carrying then ball more. New Zealand are on top.
TRY!
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44min: France had to momentum but it is the All Blacks who score! Telea runs through and throws himself over in the corner after such a smart dink over the top from Ioane.
The conversion is missed.
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42min: It’s France’s turn for a fast start to a half, and they push into the NZ 22, but have to settle for a lineout.
Second half!
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41min: Back underway!
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Here come the teams for the second half.
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An utterly enthralling first half, which featured few points but plenty of drama.
France looked a bit spent at the end of the half, there. They needed the whistle and will want a fast start to the second half.
Half-time!
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41min: That’s it for a frantic first half.
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40min: New Zealand again look certain to add to their tally, phase after phrase as they push closer to the France line but Mo’unga tries to be too clever with a quick release and sends the ball spinning out of play.
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37min: France win another lineout and wriggle clear of the All Blacks to send it deep into their half. Barrett replies and looks for touch, twice, for another lineout.
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34min: France the lineout and roll the maul to the 22 until Whitelock dives in from the side and gives away another penalty.
It’s a tricky one for Ramos though, and he narrowly sends it wide.
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32min: Dupont wins a turnover off Savea and hands off for Penaud to boot up field, prompting a foot chase between Barrett and Dupont but the former wins.
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29min: Ramos makes no mistake, France lead!
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28min: A scrum on the halfway line straight from the restart which collapses to hand France a penalty, De Groot the guilty party again.
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26min: Mo’unga makes no mistake, All Blacks lead 8-6.
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25min: New Zealand are on the line after more than 10 phases of play, but France are penalised for offside and NZ will go for the posts.
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23min: The speed of the All Blacks is stunning and find themselves inside the French 22 after another burst from Barrett. Another try looking inevitable...
PENALTY!
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20min: Ramos doubles up with a penalty after a collapsed scrum, and France lead!
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19min: The crowd react to another burst through midfield by New Zealand by chanting “Allez les Blues, Allez les Blues, Allez les Blues”. You feel France will need everyone behind them tonight, and appear to have that.
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16min: A big, big groan from the home fan as Mauvaka storms down the wing but is wiped out near the 22 - but was that after the ball had gone? It looked like it.
Everyone is so fired up.
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13min: France are trying to make something happen, rolling through the phases, but give away possession in midfield.
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12min: Early change for France as Marchand is forced off, replaced by Mauvaka.
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8min: France have not been overawed by the All Blacks and win the first scrum of the match, which is not handled well by Dupont.
Nerves, perhaps.
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5min: France straight back into it as Ramos converts the penalty.
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Try: It’s a remarkable start as Ioane breaches the defensive line, deep in the French half with New Zealand’s first possession.
He gets tackled but wins a penalty, moving quickly to the left through a lovely Barrett clip over the top and Telea touches down.
The conversion is missed.
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2min: A stunning, blistering start from the All Blacks, who are on the board after just 93 seconds.
Kick-off!
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1min: Here we go!
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That was remarkable, as ever. Now, it’s time for some rugby.
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Now it’s time for the haka.
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The French anthem now and the home crowd absolutely belt it out, you can barely hear the choir. Spine-tingling.
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Here’s why everyone is in France for the next seven weeks: the Webb Ellis Cup.
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The New Zealand national anthem comes first, sung by a local choir. That’s a lovely touch.
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Right, the players are ready, here they come. The World Cup is moments away.
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New Zealand have the home dressing room today, according to ITV, but both squads are still out on the pitch going through the final preparations.
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Just 15 minutes away from kick-off.
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France and New Zealand have quite the history at World Cups.
They have played each other seven times - more than any other match-up - including two finals, which the All Blacks won both.
France most recently recorded a tournament victory over New Zealand in 2007 at the quarter-final stage, and in 1999 won a semi-final in London.
Otherwise it has been dominance from the All Blacks.
Cane ruled out
19:44 , Alex Young
Big breaking team news as New Zealand captain Sam Cane has been ruled out through injury.
Tupou Vaa’i will now start at 6 and Brodie Retallick is on the bench.
A big blow for the All Blacks with just half an hour until the opening game.
Pre-match reading
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Before the home Rugby World Cup, a homecoming. Antoine Dupont stands ready to conquer the global game, but still finds time to get back to his roots.
France’s superstar scrum-half can rubber-stamp his status as the world’s best player all over again as Les Bleus chase the Webb Ellis Cup across the next seven weeks.
Fabien Galthie’s men will start the quest by hosting New Zealand at Stade de France tonight. France’s Saint-Denis stronghold will cram in some 80,000 this evening, for a sporting spectacle to grip the nation and the rugby world.
Some 450 miles south is the tiny village in which Dupont’s storied career began, in a place populated by just a quarter of those who will attend tonight’s contest.
France talisman Dupont is relishing the expectations of a nation
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Macron says France are aiming to win the tournament, but also win peoples’ hearts. He is drowned out again but this time to ‘Allez les Bleus’.
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World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont says some words on the magic of rugby, pays tribute to William Ellis and opens the tournament before handing over to Emmanuel Macron, who is roundly booed by the crowd.
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This is pretty spectacular. 240-odd people dancing and celebrating as we get a flyover which decorated the sky with the colours of the French flag.
And then so many fireworks! Fireworks upon fireworks! Stunning stuff. That has really kicked off the tournament.
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We are treated to some fireworks! France president Emmanuel Macron is enjoying himself.
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Our main man has flown up to the top of the Eiffel Tower quickly assembled... and he’s got the hat! It’s massive, but he’s got it.
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The hat is still flying around, and all the interpretive dance is not proving the most efficient way to get it.
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Here comes William Webb Ellis, celebrating the sport’s 200th birthday.
He looks good for his age and is talking about fair play.
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A ‘fashionista’ has arrived and she’s only gone and watched her hat fly again. Don’t worry though, the whole village is going to help her get it back.
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Here we go, Dujardin has spotted a woman in the crowd wearing a purple dress. Now loads of people are dancing while being serenaded by a very catchy song.
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Lots of people milling around pretending to cut meat, serve coffee and dance while Dujardin hands out tough-looking loaves of bread.
We have been promised a love story in this fictional village of Ovaly.
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The opening ceremony is underway and Dujardin is putting bread in an old cart.
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Oscar winner Jean Dujardin, and photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, are in the building ahead of the opening ceremony, which only a few minutes away.
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As the scorching weather engulfs France, water breaks have been allowed.
“Water breaks will operate midway through both halves at a natural break in play. The process will be managed by the referee,” a World Rugby statement read.
“The process has operated at previous World Cups and across rugby more broadly when temperatures are hot or humid and is catered for in the tournament’s regulations.”
It’s cooler in Paris now but earlier hit 35C, while England could be facing 30C tomorrow night in Marseille.
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Fans are starting to arrive at the Stade de France ahead of the opening ceremony. The game doesn’t kick off for another 100 minutes or so.
Opening ceremony
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Before the real action kicks off, we will be treated to the tournament opening ceremony.
Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin will lead the proceedings, having also co-written the ceremony, along with "thirty individuals who embody France’s culture".
There will be 44 dancers and acrobats and 240 volunteers supporting people from French film, music, dance, urban culture, gastronomy and craftsmanship, to pay tribute to rugby and "the values that go with it", while paying tribute to famous French filmmaker and actor Jacques Tati.
That is due to get underway at 7pm.
Score prediction
18:15 , Alex Young
Les Bleus have notoriously been rugby’s ultimate mercurial side over the decades; brilliant and dazzling one minute, befuddlingly rubbish the next.
However, with the full Parisian backing behind them, they have the guile and experience necessary to start the World Cup with an enormous win to state their title intentions.
France to win, by seven points.
New Zealand lineup and team news
18:06 , Alex Young
Anton Lienert-Brown is in for the injured Jordie Barrett at inside centre as New Zealand make three changes.
Barrett has been struggling with a knee problem and did not train this week so Lienert-Brown will play his second test of the year alongside Rieko Ioane in midfield.
Codie Taylor returns at hooker after a hamstring issue and Nepo Laulala comes in at tighthead prop for Tyrel Lomax, who needed 30 stitches in a cut to his leg after the crushing loss to South Africa in New Zealand's final warm-up.
In the back row, Dalton Papali'i, who usually plays on the openside, starts as blindside flanker with Shannon Frizell still ruled out by a hamstring issue.
New Zealand: B Barrett; Jordan, Ioane, Lienert-Brown, Telea; Mo’unga, Smith; De Groot, Taylor, Laulala; Whitelock, S Barrett; Papalii, Cane (c), Savea
Replacements: Taukei’aho, Tu’ungafasi, Newell, Vaa’i, Jacobson, Christie, Havili, Fainga’anuku
France lineup and team news
17:58 , Alex Young
Yoram Moefana replaces the injured Jonathan Danty at centre for France tonight, Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert paired up in the middle.
Les Bleus will also have to do without prop Cyril Baille and fly-half Romain Ntamack, who are missing out on the tournament through injury.
"We're getting into this match with the best France team," head coach Fabien Galthie said. "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."
France XV: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Moefana, Villiere; Jalibert, Dupont (c); Wardi, Marchand, Atonio; Woki, Flament; Cros, Ollivon, Alldritt
Replacements: Mauvaka, Gros, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Boudehent, Lucu, Vincent, Jaminet
Where to watch France vs New Zealand
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TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be shown live on free-to-air channel ITV1, with coverage starting at 6:45pm BST ahead of an 8:15pm kick-off.
The opening ceremony at the Stade de France begins at 7pm.
Live stream: Fans will also be able to watch a free live stream online via the ITVX website and app.
Welcome
17:45 , Alex Young
Good evening and welcome to the Evening Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2023 opener between France and New Zealand.
We could barely have wished for a more enticing first game to kick off seven weeks of rugby, featuring 20 nations from five continents.
Both teams tonight have designs on winning the tournament. France have lost three previous finals, while the All Blacks are looking for a record fourth victory.
Kick-off is at 8.15pm at the Stade de France, and we will be treated to the opening ceremony beforehand. Stick with us.
