The 2023 Rugby World Cup final will occur on Oct. 28 at 1900 GMT at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis in France. The match between the winners of the first semi-final between host France and Ireland and the second semi-final between South Africa and England will decide who wins the Webb Ellis Cup. The All Blacks, who have won the most World Cup titles, are favorites to win again. The Springboks are ranked third in the world and will seek to defend the title they won in Japan four years ago.
New Zealand became the first finalist after beating Argentina in Friday’s semi-final. The All Blacks pummelled the Pumas in a one-sided game at a quiet Stade de France with tries from Jordan (3), Jordie Barrett, and Shannon Frizell. Argentina’s only points came from two first-half penalties from Emiliano Boffelli.
After a slow start, the All Blacks attacked and were soon ahead through Jordan’s superb step to beat Penaud. Frizell and Aaron Smith scored the All Blacks’ next tries. The All Blacks were almost unstoppable as they attacked precisely, exploiting holes in the Puma’s defense. Jordan’s hat-trick score came in the 74th minute when he slipped through a nonexistent Pumas maul defense to score and secure the All Blacks victory.
The All Blacks aim for their fourth World Cup title and would love to make history by becoming the first team to win five. Their last victory was in 2019, winning 32-12 against defending champions England at Yokohama Stadium. The All Blacks have a 28-24 success over Ireland in the quarter-finals and will face the winner of Saturday’s other semi-final between defending champions South Africa and England.
Defending champions South Africa, captained by Siya Kolisi, are ranked third in the world and have won three of their previous World Cup titles. They have never lost a World Cup final and will be eager to defend the crown they won in Japan in 2019. England, led by Rassie Erasmus, is a top-10 team and wants to become the only country to reach four finals.
The 2023 tournament is the 50th edition of the World Cup and features 48 matches over eight weeks. The round-robin phase was held in eight venues worldwide before the knockout stage began on Oct. 16.
A total of 62 teams competed to reach the tournament’s final. The first stage saw the top eight teams advance to the quarter-finals, where the All Blacks and Argentina both won.
The All Blacks will be boosted by the return of props Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane and the inclusion of winger Ryan Crotty. The team also features several experienced lock forwards, while the backline is well-rounded with six hookers, four loose forwards, three halfbacks, and three first five-eighths. The All Blacks have not named a replacement for injured prop Kieran Read, who suffered an ankle injury in the quarter-final against Wales.