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Rugby World Cup organisers blasted over national anthem 'travesty'

The Rugby World Cup has copped plenty of backlash over some bizarre scenes.

riley morgan
Sports Reporter
·4-min read
England sing the national anthem and Will Skelton stands for the Wallabies.
Rugby World Cup organisers have been blasted after the national anthems for England, Ireland, Argentina, France and a number of nations were 'butchered' due to a recording. (Getty Images)

Rugby World Cup organisers have been blasted after a number of national anthems - including the French and Italian renditions - were 'butchered' in tough to watch scenes. Ahead of France's opening match against the All Blacks in Parc des Princes, the atmosphere was electric as the World Cup favourites lined-up at home against the All Blacks.

However, French fans became deflated when La Marseillaise didn't live-up to the hype. In what was supposed to be one of the most rousing national anthems in the nation's rugby history, viewers around the world blasted the confusing scenes. In 2023, all anthems have been performed by a children's choir and recorded to be played before the game.

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And while the thought is fantastic, the recordings haven't gone down well with players and fans singing out-of-sync. Fans became infuriated with organisers ahead of the opening match and the drama continued.

Fans of Ireland were left mystified at their national anthem with viewers complaining ahead of kick-off that the moment fell flat. Viewers from all around the world - including Argentina and France - have taken aim and questioned whether the choir anthems will run throughout the whole tournament.

Wallabies record first win to please Eddie Jones

While the national anthems have caused a stir in France, the Wallabies will be pleased after Ben Donaldson justified his shock selection to star in the Wallabies' 35-15 World Cup victory over Georgia.

Donaldson scored two tries and kicked 15 points for a personal tally of 25 points to earn the player of the match award at Stade de France on Saturday (Sunday AEST) as Jones celebrated the first win of his second stint with the Wallabies following five straight defeats.

"We knew what he was capable of and we felt in a game like that where there's going to be a lot of kicking ... his long kick was invaluable," Jones said of 24-year-old Donaldson, who replaced Andrew Kellaway at 15. "He's a very good decision maker and his goal-kicking was first class."

A general view of the inside of the stadium as players of France line up during the National Anthems.
The French national anthem didn't live up to the hype at the Rugby World Cup. (Photo by David Ramos - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Donaldson said the team were able to execute their game plan, which made him look good. "We had a game plan - we've been building for a long time now and the boys executed really well for the full 80 minutes," Donaldson said. "In the end it made me look half-decent so I put that on all the boys.

The Australians set up the victory with an impressive first half and although they fell away through the middle of the match they showed discipline, incurring just seven penalties, to stick to the script to secure the much-needed win.

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