2023 Rugby World Cup Pool A
Pool A of the 2023 Rugby World Cup began on 8 September 2023 and concluded on 6 October 2023. The pool included hosts France and previous three-time champions New Zealand, along with Italy, Uruguay and Namibia.[1] Hosts France and New Zealand, whom France had defeated in the opening match, qualified from the pool.
Inaugural 2023 Rugby World Cup match between France and New Zealand at Stade de France.
Match between New Zealand and Namibia in Toulouse.
Teams
| Pos. | Team | Band | Confederation | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Apps. | Last | Previous best performance |
World Rugby Rankings[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2020[nb 1] | 4 September 2023 | |||||||||
| A1 |  New Zealand | 1 | Oceania | Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 6 October 2019 | 10th | 2019 | Winners (1987, 2011, 2015) | 2 | 4 |
| A2 |  France | 2 | Europe | Hosts | 15 November 2017 | 10th | 2019 | Runners-up (1987, 1999, 2011) | 7 | 3 |
| A3 |  Italy | 3 | Europe | Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 8 October 2019 | 10th | 2019 | Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 12 | 13 |
| A4 |  Uruguay | 4[nb 2] | South America | Americas 1 | 9 October 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2015, 2019 | 18[nb 2] | 17 |
| A5 |  Namibia | 5[nb 3] | Africa | Africa 1 | 10 July 2022 | 7th | 2019 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 23[nb 3] | 21 |
Notes
- The rankings of 1 January 2020 were used for seeding for the final draw.
- As the identity of the Americas 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 4.[3]
- As the identity of the Africa 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 5.[3]
Overview
The opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup was played between hosts France and three-time champions New Zealand. France won 27–13, courtesy of tries from Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet. Mark Telea scored the first try of the tournament for New Zealand after less than two minutes, making it the quickest try in an opening match of a Rugby World Cup.[4] The loss was New Zealand's first ever in the pool stages of a Rugby World Cup.[5] The next day, Italy won their opening match against Namibia by a score of 52–8.[6] On 14 September, Uruguay played their first match of the tournament against hosts France, which France came out victorious with a scoreline of 27–12.[7] The next day, New Zealand bounced back from their opening day defeat against France with 11 tries over Namibia in a 71–3 victory, despite losing Ethan de Groot to a red card for a dangerous collision.[8] Five days later, Italy recorded a 38–17 bonus point victory over Uruguay, following a second-half comeback which previously saw them trail 17–7.[9] The next day, France recorded their largest ever victory in a 96–0 victory over Namibia to move them on the brink of qualification to the knockout stage, while officially eliminating Namibia from the tournament. Thirteen tries were scored by France, who lost captain and key player Antoine Dupont to an injury from the match.[10]
Namibia played their final match of the tournament against Uruguay in Décines-Charpieu. Namibia went ahead with two early tries from Gerswin Mouton and J. C. Greyling, along with successful penalties and conversions from Tiaan Swanepoel. However, Uruguay turned it around in the second half with tries from Baltazar Amaya, Santiago Arata and Bautista Basso to earn the Uruguayans their first victory of the tournament in a 36–26 victory and deny Namibia their first ever victory in a Rugby World Cup.[11] Two days later, New Zealand faced Italy knowing that a defeat would mean that they would be eliminated from the World Cup at the pool stage for the first time ever. However, the All Blacks came out comfortable winners in the end as they starred in a fourteen-try show in Décines-Charpieu to move to the brink of qualification to the quarter-finals. Aaron Smith scored a hat-trick of tries after just 34 minutes in the bonus-point victory.[12]
In the final matchweek of the pool, New Zealand and Uruguay faced off in Décines-Charpieu for their final matches to try and push for a place in the knockout stage. The All Blacks ran out comfortable winners, inspired by Damian McKenzie who scored two tries and kicked two conversions, in a 73–0 victory that officially saw them qualify for the quarter-finals while officially eliminating Uruguay from the tournament. All that remained in Pool A was the final match between hosts France and Italy to officially decide who would join New Zealand in the knockout stage. Both sides were assured to finish in the top three, meaning they were both assured a place in the 2027 Rugby World Cup, along with the All Blacks.[13] The final match of Pool A took place the following day, with France sweeping aside Italy with a 60–7 scoreline in Décines-Charpieu with eight tries in a match to ensure that France qualified as they topped Group A, New Zealand qualified in second and Italy suffered elimination from the tournament as they finished third, but qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.[14]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France (H) |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 32 | +178 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 18 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | New Zealand |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 253 | 47 | +206 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Italy |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 181 | −67 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 10 | Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Uruguay |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 164 | −99 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Namibia |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 255 | −218 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
Matches
France vs New Zealand
| 8 September 2023 21:15 CEST (UTC+2) |
| France | 27–13 | New Zealand |
| Try: Penaud 55' c Jaminet 78' m Con: Ramos (1/1) 57' Pen: Ramos (5/7) 5', 20', 29', 65', 74' | Report | Try: Telea (2) 2' m, 43' m Pen: Mo'unga (1/1) 25' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,680[15] Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)[16] |
          France
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 New Zealand
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Antoine Dupont (France) and Nepo Laulala (New Zealand) earned their 50th test caps.[18]
- Sam Cane was originally named in the New Zealand starting XV as captain, but withdrew prior to the match after sustaining an injury in the team's final training session. He was replaced by Tupou Vaa'i, whose place on the bench was taken by Brodie Retallick, while the captaincy was handed over to Ardie Savea.[19]
- This was New Zealand's first defeat in a Rugby World Cup pool stage fixture, and their heaviest defeat in a World Cup match.[20][21]
- Mark Telea (New Zealand) scored the fastest try in a Rugby World Cup opening match, at 91 seconds.[22]
Italy vs Namibia
| 9 September 2023 13:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Italy | 52–8 | Namibia |
| Try: L. Cannone 11' c P. Garbisi 15' c Lamb 46' c Capuozzo 55' c Faiva 74' c Zuliani 78' c Odogwu 80+3' c Con: Allan (7/7) 12', 16', 48', 57', 75', 79', 80+4' Pen: Allan (1/1) 8' | Report | Try: Mouton 21' m Pen: Swanepoel (1/2) 4' |
| Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Attendance: 35,515 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland) |
    Italy
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   Namibia
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was Italy's largest victory (by margin) at the World Cup, surpassing their previous best of 41 points over Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and also their largest victory over Namibia.[24]
France vs Uruguay
| 14 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| France | 27–12 | Uruguay |
| Try: Hastoy 10' c Mauvaka 55' c Bielle-Biarrey 74' c Con: Jaminet (3/3) 11', 56', 75' Pen: Jaminet (2/3) 3', 14' | Report | Try: Freitas 6' m Amaya 53' c Con: Etcheverry (1/2) 54' |
| Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 48,821 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)[16] |
    France
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    Uruguay
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand vs Namibia
| 15 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 71–3 | Namibia |
| Try: Roigard (2) 2' c, 7' m McKenzie (2) 20' c, 39' c Fainga'anuku 25' m Lienert-Brown 35' c De Groot 49' m Papalii 55' c Havili 58' c Clarke 67' c Ioane 77' c Con: McKenzie (8/11) 3', 20', 36', 40', 55', 59', 68', 78' | Report | Pen: Swanepoel (1/1) 11' |
| Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 31,996 Referee: Luke Pearce (England)[16] |
New Zealand
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   Namibia
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was the first ever match which New Zealand performed Kapa o Pango against a Tier 2 nation.
- Sam Whitelock equalled the New Zealand test cap record, with 148 caps, drawing level with Richie McCaw.[27]
Italy vs Uruguay
| 20 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Italy | 38–17 | Uruguay |
| Try: Pani 7' c Lamaro 46' c Ioane 52' c L. Cannone 56' c Brex 61' c Con: Allan (5/5) 8', 47', 53', 57', 62' Pen: P. Garbisi (1/1) 70' | Report | Try: Penalty try 27' Freitas 37' c Con: Etcheverry (1/1) 38' Drop: Etcheverry (1/1) 42' |
| Allianz Riviera, Nice Attendance: 28,627 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)[16] |
    Italy
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Uruguay
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup.
- Sebastian Negri (Italy) earned his 50th test cap.[28]
- Luca Bigi was originally named as the replacement hooker on the Italy bench, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. He was replaced by Ivan Nemer, who took the position of substitute loosehead prop, while Federico Zani shifted across to the role of hooker.[29]
France vs Namibia
| 21 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) France | 96–0 | Namibia |
| Try: Penaud (3) 6' m, 21' c, 55' c Danty (2) 9' c, 26' c Ollivon (2) 18' c, 68' c Flament 33' c Dupont 38' c Bielle-Biarrey (2) 40+1' c, 64' c Couilloud 47' c Jaminet 76' c Penalty try 80' Con: Ramos (12/13) 10', 18', 22', 27', 34', 39', 40+2', 48', 56', 65', 70', 77' | Report |
| Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 63,486 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)[16] |
France
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Namibia
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was France's largest victory in test match history, and also their largest victory at the World Cup – surpassing their 87–10 win, also against Namibia, at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[31][32]
- Oela Blaauw (Namibia) made his international debut.[33]
Uruguay vs Namibia
| 27 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Uruguay | 36–26 | Namibia |
| Try: Amaya (2) 19' m, 49' c Kessler 28' c Arata 54' c Basso 66' c Con: Etcheverry (3/4) 29', 51', 55' Berchesi (1/1) 67' Pen: Berchesi (1/1) 74' | Report | Try: Mouton 1' c Greyling 11' c Con: Swanepoel (2/2) 2', 12' Pen: Swanepoel (4/4) 25', 35', 43', 69' |
| Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 49,342 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)[16] |
Uruguay
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Namibia
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup.
- Namibia achieved their highest points total in a World Cup match, surpassing the 25 points scored against Fiji in 2011.
- Uruguay achieved their highest points total in a World Cup march, surpassing the 30 points scored against Fiji in 2019.
New Zealand vs Italy
| 29 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 96–17 | Italy |
| Try: Jordan (2) 7' c, 70' c Smith (3) 17' c, 27' c, 34' c Telea 19' c Savea (2) 22' c, 40+5' c Retallick 50' c Papalii 55' c Coles (2) 61' m, 73' c McKenzie 67' c Lienert-Brown 76' c Con: Mo'unga (9/10) 8', 18', 20, 23', 28', 35', 40+6', 51', 57' McKenzie (4/4) 69', 71', 74', 77' | Report | Try: Capuozzo 48' c Ioane 80+1' c Con: Allan (1/1) 49' P. Garbisi (1/1) 80+3' Pen: Allan (1/1) 10' |
| Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 57,083 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)[16] |
New Zealand
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Italy
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Sam Whitelock became the most capped New Zealand player in test history, with 149 appearances, and the second most capped test player overall, behind only Wales international Alun Wyn Jones.[34]
New Zealand vs Uruguay
| 5 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 73–0 | Uruguay |
| Try: McKenzie (2) 20' c, 53' c Mo'unga 25' c Jordan (2) 33' c, 65' c Roigard 38' m Newell 45' m Fainga'anuku (3) 49' c, 68' c, 77' c Williams 73' c Con: Mo'unga (5/7) 21', 26', 34', 50', 54' McKenzie (2/2) 66', 69' B. Barrett (2/2) 74', 78' | Report |
| Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 57,672 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)[16] |
New Zealand
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 Uruguay
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- This was the first ever meeting between these two sides.
- Sam Whitelock (New Zealand) became only the second player in history to earn 150 test caps. He also became the most capped player at the World Cup, with 23 appearances across four tournaments, surpassing Jason Leonard and Richie McCaw.
- This was the fifth match at the 2023 World Cup where the losing team failed to score any points – a new record for a single tournament, surpassing 2007 and 2019.
France vs Italy
| 6 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) France | 60–7 | Italy |
| Try: Penaud (2) 2' c, 38' c Bielle-Biarrey 13' c Ramos 22' c Jalibert 47' c Mauvaka 54' c Moefana (2) 64' c, 76' m Con: Ramos (6/6) 4', 14', 23', 39', 48', 55' Jaminet (1/2) 65' Pen: Ramos (1/2) 7' Jaminet (1/1) 80+1' | Report | Try: Zuliani 71' c Con: Allan (1/1) 72' |
| Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 58,102 Referee: Karl Dickson (England)[16] |
France
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Italy
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Simone Ferrari and Luca Morisi (Italy) earned their 50th test caps.
- This was France's biggest ever win over Italy (by margin).
References
- "Hosts France to face New Zealand in blockbuster RWC 2023 opening match". 26 February 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
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- Henson, Mike (8 September 2023). "Hosts record impressive opening World Cup win over three-time champions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- McConnell, Lynn. "FRANCE TOO STRONG IN WORLD CUP OPENER". allblacks.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- Cartwright, Phil (9 September 2023). "Italy start Rugby World Cup with bonus-point win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- "Hosts maintain winning Rugby World Cup start with hard-earned victory". BBC Sport. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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- "Antoine Dupont injured as hosts score 14 tries in Marseille". BBC Sport. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- Telfer, Alastair (27 September 2023). "Second-half fightback denies Namibia first Rugby World Cup win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- Rindl, Joe (29 September 2023). "All Blacks move to cusp of Rugby World Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- Telfer, Alastair (5 October 2023). "All Blacks reach quarter-finals with 11-try win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- Smith, Emma (6 October 2023). "Hosts earn crushing win to reach World Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
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- "France beat 'beautiful and fabulous' New Zealand 27-13 in opener". rugbyworldcup.com. World Rugby. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- "Antoine Dupont could be rugby's biggest star since Jonah Lomu". www.telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "Rugby World Cup: All Blacks captain Sam Cane ruled out of match against France". Stuff.co.nz. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "France hand All Blacks their first-ever Rugby World Cup pool stage defeat". www.planetrugby.com. Planet Rugby. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "All Blacks claim they can still lift trophy after suffering heaviest World Cup defeat". www.smh.com.au. The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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- "Italy defeat Namibia 52-8 in Pool A". rugbyworldcup.com. World Rugby. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- Barbacci, Roberto (9 September 2023). "Mondiali Rugby, Italia–Namibia è una vittoria da record per gli Azzurri. Ma c'è chi storce il naso" [Rugby World Cup, Italy–Namibia is a record win for the Azzurri. But some turn their noses up at it]. Virgilio.it (in Italian). Italiaonline S.r.l. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- "France pushed hard by Uruguay but seal 27-12 win". rugbyworldcup.com. World Rugby. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- "NZL 71-3 NAM: New Zealand score 11 tries to brush aside Namibia". rugbyworldcup.com. World Rugby. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- "'It's a great honour': Sam Whitelock to match Richie McCaw's All Blacks record". www.rugbypass.com. Rugby Pass. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- "Italy's Negri wary of dangerous Uruguay". www.reuters.com. Reuters. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- "Italy v Uruguay, Rugby World Cup 2023". www.ultimaterugby.com. Ultimate Rugby. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- "France v Namibia LIVE: Final score, result and reaction as Rugby World Cup hosts claim record win". aol.com. AOL. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- "France rack up record score in huge Rugby World Cup win over Namibia". www.independent.co.uk. The Independent. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- "Antoine Dupont injury overshadows France's record 96-0 win over Namibia". www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Namibia rotate squad for World Cup clash with hosts France". www.reuters.com. Reuters. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- "Sam Whitelock breaks All Blacks appearance record against Italy". www.rugbyworld.com. Rugby World. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
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