France hand All Blacks historic Rugby World Cup defeat

All Blacks coach Ian Foster labelled France as “one of the clear tournament favourites” ahead of the Rugby World Cup opener, and Les Bleus more than lived up to that moniker on Friday.

Playing in front of a vibrant crowd at Stade de France, France made the All Blacks pay for failing to turn pressure into points as they recorded a somewhat dominant 27-13 win.

It was the All Blacks’ first loss ever in a Rugby World Cup pool game.

After two years of talk, build-up and anticipation, the opening Test of the 2023 Rugby World Cup was finally here. You could both see and feel it around Paris, too.

Whether it was near the Eiffel Tower or Louvre at the Paris fan zone, or even outside the stadium in Saint-Denis, there were supporters everywhere.

French, New Zealand, Argentine and Springbok fans flocked the streets of northern Paris. Four years of waiting was finally over and the world was in union once more.

Supporters filled the stands in their droves, well before kick-off too, as they continued to sing and chant their way closer and closer to kick-off.

The Rugby World Cup began with an outstanding opening ceremony, and the Test got underway soon after.

Both teams sang their nation anthems with pride, and then the usually vocal crowd fell silent for the All Blacks’ haka. There was no response from the French, but the challenge remained just as fierce.

Referee Jaco Pyper got the game underway at 9.18 pm on Friday, and Beauden Barrett was handed the honour of kicking off the tournament. The playmaker kicked the ball high into the Paris sky as fans watched on in awe.

The All Blacks shot out of the blocks with wing Mark Telea scoring the opening try after about 100 seconds.

Centre Rieko Ioane sliced through a hesitant French defence to put the All Blacks in a commanding position early. New Zealand spread the ball wide and the rest was history.

But France wasn’t going to be kept quiet for long – especially the crowd. Les Bleus hit back just a couple of minutes later via the boot of fullback Thomas Ramos.

Les Bleus trailed by two points after a rapid opening five minutes.

It was a back-and-forth game during the opening quarter with neither team challenging their opponents’ try line.

But then, as the enthralling duel in the middle third of the field carried into the 18^th minute, Les Bleus were awarded a penalty. The home fans let out a deafening cheer as Ramos added another three to the score.

New Zealand unleashed another attacking onslaught on Les Bleus’ try line soon after, tough, and they came within metres of snatching the lead back.

Stand-in captain Ardie Savea came close, and so did Scott Barrett, but France’s defensive wall stood strong. The All Blacks were denied time and time again.

But after catching their opponents offside, playmaker Richie Mo’unga nailed his first penalty attempt of the Test from a relatively easy position.

The All Blacks were in control once again, but it didn’t last long. Ramos kicked another penalty, and missed one, as France snatched the lead back 9-8.

New Zealand failed to have the last laugh before the break as Codie Taylor threw a try-scoring opportunity into touch about a minute before the break.

With just one point separating the teams at the break, fans wanted more.

The second term started much like the first. Fans felt a sense of déjà vu as Mark Telea scored in the opening minutes of the half.

But it was all France for the rest of the Test really. Les Bleus camped within the All Blacks’ 22, and it paid off with wing Damian Penaud sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Penaud, who was denied moments earlier by a desperate Richie Mo’unga in defence, scored down the right edge – the successful conversion gave the home crowd favourites a 16-13 lead.

Will Jordan was sent to the sin bin a minute later, too, which only added to the All Blacks’ woes entering the final quarter of the Test.

Fullback Ramos added another two penalties, and replacement Melvyn Jaminet scored a late try as France ran away with a historic Rugby World Cup victory over the All Blacks.