The Rugby World Cup 2023 | France
The stage is set for one of the world’s most eagerly anticipated events in men’s sports – The Rugby World Cup 2023. From Friday 08 September 2023 to Saturday 28 October 2023, 20 of the world’s most prolific rugby nations will descend on the beautiful shores of France for what is guaranteed to be a monthlong period of nailbiting, hard-hitting, unforgettable moments of pure Rugby bliss.
The tournament will kick off in Paris on Sept. 8 when the tournament hosts France face New Zealand at Stade de France in Paris.
During the tournament, Probets will be with you through each and every play. We will be looking to bring you the biggest and best online sportsbooks to visit during the tournament, as well as the most try bonuses and promotions that are guaranteed to supercharge your Rugby World Cup experience.
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Rugby World Cup 2023 Host Nation: France
France, often referred to as the heartland of rugby, is the perfect host for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2023. Renowned for its passionate rugby culture and history, this nation has consistently produced some of the world’s finest rugby players and has a deep-seated love for the sport. From the bustling streets of Paris to the serene landscapes of the countryside, rugby’s influence is evident in every corner of the country. This will be the 10th staging of rugby’s global showpiece and the second time France has hosted the tournament in its entirety.
Country – France
Capital City – Paris
Official language – French
Religion – Islam
Currency – Euro’s
Climate during the tournament – The northeastern region of the country bears the brunt of the autumnal cold, with average temperatures of 10 to 21°C. Elsewhere, the weather is still pleasant, with average temperatures of 12 to 23°C and 17 to 25°C in Bordeaux and Nice respectively.
Rich Rugby Heritage: France boasts a long and storied history when it comes to rugby. The sport has been deeply ingrained in the nation’s culture for over a century. French rugby has produced legendary players who have left an indelible mark on the sport’s global landscape. Names like Serge Blanco, Jean-Pierre Rives, and Fabien Galthié have become synonymous with both French rugby excellence and the nation’s passion for the game.
Passionate Rugby Culture: Rugby is more than just a sport in France; it’s a way of life. From the bustling streets of Paris to the charming villages of the countryside, rugby’s influence is palpable everywhere. Local rugby clubs are the heart and soul of many communities, nurturing talent from a young age and fostering a sense of camaraderie that transcends the game itself. The fervent support from fans, known for their passionate chants and unwavering dedication, creates an electrifying atmosphere in stadiums across the country.
Historic Moments: France has played host to some of rugby’s most iconic moments. The country previously hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2007, which left a lasting impact on both the sport and the nation. The tournament showcased the French penchant for embracing rugby’s diversity and shared spirit. Who can forget the sight of fans from all corners of the world coming together to celebrate the sport in a way that only France could facilitate?
Diverse Landscapes: One of France’s greatest strengths as a host nation is its incredible diversity. From the snow-capped peaks of the Alps to the sun-kissed beaches of the Mediterranean, the country’s landscapes are as varied as its rugby tactics. This diversity allows visitors to enjoy not only world-class rugby matches but also the beauty and charm of the different regions.
Culinary Delights: French cuisine is celebrated worldwide, and visitors to the Rugby World Cup 2023 can expect a gastronomic journey that goes beyond the sport itself. From delicate pastries to exquisite cheeses and wines, France’s culinary offerings are a treat for the senses. Exploring the local food scene is an essential part of the rugby experience in this country.
Warm Hospitality: French hospitality is renowned for its warmth and elegance. Visitors to the Rugby World Cup 2023 can expect to be greeted with open arms and genuine smiles wherever they go. The French take pride in welcoming guests and sharing their love for their country and its rich cultural heritage.
A Fusion of Sport and Culture: France’s ability to seamlessly blend sport and culture makes it an ideal host for an event as prestigious as the Rugby World Cup. In addition to the matches, fans can explore the country’s world-class museums, historical landmarks, and vibrant arts scenes. The fusion of rugby and culture creates a truly immersive experience for both participants and spectators.
As the host nation for the Ruby World Cup 2023, France offers much more than just a venue for matches. It presents an opportunity to dive into the heart of a nation that lives and breathes rugby, a nation that prides itself on its heritage, culture, and passion for the sport. The tournament is not just a sporting event; it’s a celebration of all that makes France a unique and unforgettable destination.
The Rugby World Cup 2023 | Stadiums
This edition of the Rugby World Cup 2023 will see matches played in a selection of 12 top-notch stadiums across France, each stadium contributing its own unique ambiance and flavour to the tournament. Let’s take a closer look at these stadiums and the excitement they promise:
Stade de France (Saint-Denis): Capacity: 80,698 Description: The tournament’s opening match will take place at this iconic stadium, with its modern architecture and impressive capacity. The Stade de France has witnessed historic sporting events, and its electric atmosphere is sure to kick off the tournament in style.
Stadium de Toulouse (Toulouse): Capacity: 33,150 Description: Toulouse, a city known for its rugby heritage, will host matches in this cozy yet lively stadium. The Stadium de Toulouse promises an intimate experience that allows fans to feel the pulse of the game.
Stade de Bordeaux (Bordeaux): Capacity: 42 060 Description: Home to the city’s Ligue 1 football club. Situated in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, this ultramodern stadium boasts a sleek design and state-of-the-art facilities. As a host venue, it will undoubtedly provide an exhilarating backdrop for matches that will keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Stade Pierre Mauroy (Lille): Capacity: 50 096. The Stade Pierre-Mauroy, also known as the Decathlon Arena, is a multi-use retractable roof stadium in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, that opened in August 2012. It has a seating capacity of 50,186 and is the home stadium of Lille OSC
Olympique Lyonnais Stadium (Lyon) Capacity: 58 883. Parc Olympique Lyonnais, known for sponsorship reasons as Groupama Stadium, is a 59,186-seat stadium in Décines-Charpieu, in the Lyon Metropolis. The home of French football club Olympique Lyonnais (OL).
Stade De Marseille (Marseille) Capacity: 67,849. A historic stadium that has been renovated three times since it opened in 1937, Stade de Marseille hosted two quarter-finals at RWC 2007. The home of Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille and a host venue during the FIFA World Cup in 1938 and 1998
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Étienne): Capacity: 41,965 Description: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is nicknamed ‘le Chaudron’ (the Cauldron), or ‘l’enfer vert’ (the Green Hell). This is due to colours worn by the local football team, AS Saint-Étienne. Although primarily a football stadium, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard has also been used to host high profile rugby matches, including clashes at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Stade De La Beaujoire (Nantes): Capacity: 35,520. The Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau, mostly known as Stade de la Beaujoire, is a stadium in Nantes, France. It is the home of French football club FC Nantes.
Stade De Nice (Nice) Capacity: 35,983. Allianz Riviera is a multi-use stadium in Nice, France, used mostly for football matches of host OGC Nice and also for occasional home matches of rugby union club Toulon. The stadium has a capacity of 36,178 people and replaces the city’s former stadium Stade Municipal du Ray.
The Rugby World Cup 2023 | Qualification Process
The qualification process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France began during the pool stages of the 2019 tournament in Japan, at which the top three teams from each of the four pools qualified automatically for the 2023 event. A further eight teams will qualify through regional, cross-regional play-offs and the repechage process.
Following confirmation of the twelve automatically qualified teams from the 2019 Rugby World Cup, World Rugby announced the qualification format for the eight remaining places on 8 June 2020. Of the eight berths remaining, six are to be decided in regional tournaments, one by a cross-regional playoff and the last one via a final qualification tournament.
Africa
Rugby Africa has been granted one place at the World Cup, which will be awarded to the winners of the 2022 Africa Cup (Africa 1), after a three-round phased process. The runner-up (Africa 2) will advance to the Final Qualification Tournament as Africa 2.
Americas
The Americas was awarded two qualifying berths, decided by several play-off matches across both North America and South America. Americas 1 was awarded to the winner of round 3; where North America 1 (the winner of a United States-Canada play-off series) v South America 1 (the winner of SAR 3 Nations Championship) played each other, with the winner on aggregate qualifying for the World Cup.
Americas 2 were the winners on aggregate in a final play-off series between the runners-up of round 3 and the winners of a play-off series between North America 2 and South Americas 2. The loser of the final play-off series progressed to the Final Qualification Tournament as Americas 3.
Asia
Asia Rugby, with its top-ranked team automatically qualified already, did not get another direct qualifying place. However, the 2021 Asia Rugby Championship (later delayed to 2022) winner (Asia 1) will have the chance to qualify via a cross-regional play-off against Oceania 2 (Tonga).
Europe
Rugby Europe, having six teams automatically qualified, gained a further two more World Cup berths, which will be awarded to the winners and runners-up of a combined 2021–2022 Rugby Europe Championship (Europe 1 and Europe 2) table. The third-placed team advances to the Final Qualification Tournament as Europe 3.
Oceania
Oceania Rugby was granted one direct qualification berth, and was awarded to the winner on aggregate of a Samoa–Tonga home and away play-off (Oceania 1). The loser, Tonga, then progressed to a straight play-off match against the deemed winner of the 2021 Oceania Rugby Cup (Cook Islands), which Tonga won to advance as Oceania 2 to a cross-regional play-off against Asia 1.
Play-off and Final Qualification Tournament
Following the regional tournaments, the next qualification stage was a single-leg qualification match between Asia 1 (Hong Kong) and Oceania 2 (Tonga), with the winner (Tonga) qualifying for the 2023 Rugby World Cup as Asia/Pacific 1. Hong Kong advanced to the Final Qualification Tournament as Asia/Pacific 2.
The final stage of the qualification process concluded in November 2022 with a four-teamed round-robin format Final Qualification Tournament.
The four teams were:
Kenya (Africa 2)
United States (Americas 3)
Portugal (Europe 3)
Hong Kong (Asia/Pacific 2)
Portugal won the final Qualifier and joined Group C of the 2023 World Cup.
The Rugby World Cup 2023 | Qualifying Teams
A total of 20 nations consisting of 33-man squads each will take part in this year’s Rugby World Cup 2023, 12 of these nations have gone through the pre-qualified selection via Rugby World Cup 2019, and the remaining 8 nations have qualified via regional tournaments.
The 20 nations that will take part in the Rugby World Cup 2023 are:
France, Argentina, England, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, Wales, Georgia, Romania, Uruguay, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, Namibia, Portugal
The Rugby World Cup 2023 | Pools
The Rugby World Cup is contested by 20 nations who have been divided into four pools of five teams: Pool A, Pool B, Pool C and Pool D. The top two countries in each pool then qualify for the quarterfinals, before the knockout stage then moves to the semifinals and final.
The four pools are as follows:
Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Namibia, Uruguay
Pool B: Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Tonga, Romania
Pool C: Wales, Australia, Georgia, Fiji, Portugal
Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile
Which Countries Have Won The Rugby World Cup?
Only four countries have won the Rugby World Cup. New Zealand [1987, 2011, 2015] and South Africa [1995, 2007, 2019] have each won the tournament three times, while Australia have been crowned champions twice [1991, 1999] and England once [2003].
How did the Rugby World Cup get its name?
The Rugby World Cup was created in 1985 when delegates from Australia and New Zealand tabled a proposal to the then-International Rugby Board at a meeting in Paris. Though there was resistance from some Unions, a vote to stage a World Cup was eventually passed 10-6, with New Zealand and Australia awarded hosting rights for the inaugural tournament in 1987. New Zealand were crowned the first Rugby World Cup champions when they defeated France 29-9 at Eden Park, Auckland.
What is the trophy awarded to winners of the Rugby World Cup?
The winners of the Rugby World Cup are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, named in honour of English schoolboy William Webb Ellis who is acknowledged as being the inventor of rugby by virtue of his decision to pick up the ball and run with it during a football match at Rugby School in 1823. While the claim is disputed, Webb Ellis is entrenched in rugby folklore. The trophy itself was made in 1906 and selected from London’s Royal Jewelers, Garrards, Harris St. London, in the lead-up to the inaugural tournament in 1987. It is made of sterling silver and has been gilded in gold.
Rugby World Cup 2023 | Predictions & Odds
With some of the biggest rugby action in full swing, punters of all levels will be eager to put their knowledge and skills to the test, not just correctly predicting which side will end up lifting the Webb Ellis Cup on October 28, but placing their stakes on some big, in-game action stakes along the way.
Off the bat, predictions are coming in thick and fast, with many fans having already pinned Ireland to demonstrate why they’re the number-one ranked team in the world right now, others say that this may be the year where the Springboks win a successive and record-breaking fourth title.
To help you get ahead of the action, we’ve sought the expertise of the RugbyPass team abd their growing fanbase.
The Predictions of the RugbyPass Fanbase
After collating the latest data (August 2023) from the thousands of entries made by the 80,000+ strong RugbyPass fanbase, here’s how they collectively see the results going from the Pool stage to the Final, based on the highest numbers of votes for each team:
As you can see, rugby fans worldwide think this will be New Zealand’s year. This was also by a sizeable margin, with the All Blacks being the top team in a whopping 34% of our fans’ predictions.
There are also some big shocks with the likes of Ireland beating France in the Quarter-finals and England beating Wales on the other side of the draw. Interestingly, England were runaway winners of this tie, with a notable 45% of those who made this selection believing they would be triumphant over Warren Gatland’s Dragons.
With the Bronze Final, the majority of our fans (27%) also think England will finish in third place. The Eddie Jones vs his old side England tie itself was also the most predicted outcome from all of those who entered.
What are your thoughts?