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Rugby World Cup: France wins opening match against New Zealand

9/8/2023, 10:51:25 PM

Highlights: New Zealand lose 27-13 to France in the opening match of the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks have never lost a group match at the tournament. The other teams in Pool A are Italy, Uruguay and South Africa. The final will be held on 28 October in Twickenham, London. The tournament is the first to be held in France since 1998. The winner will be crowned the winner of the tournament on May 31-June 1. The draw for the quarter-finals will be made on Friday.

Never before have the "All Blacks" lost a group match at a Rugby World Cup. Now France has beaten three-time world champions New Zealand at the start of the tournament.

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New Zealand's Mark Telea (right) and Damian Penaud from the French team

Photograph:

Christophe Ena / AP

The French rugby team got off to a perfect start at the start of the World Cup. The hosts beat co-favourites New Zealand 27-13 at the Stade de France on Friday night.

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A German rugby player in New Zealand: His life for the hakaBy Markus Sutera

It was a historic defeat for the All Blacks. Never before had they lost a group match at a World Cup. The New Zealanders committed far too many fouls (11-4), which is why 15 of France's 27 points resulted from penalty kicks. The »All Blacks« had to do without captain Sam Cane, who was injured shortly before kick-off.

With the top two teams in the group advancing to the quarter-finals, anything is still possible for the three-time world champions despite the opening defeat. In Pool A, the other opponents are Italy, Namibia and Uruguay. For the first time, the fight for the Webb Ellis Cup will be held exclusively in France, with the final taking place on 28 October. Germany is not represented at the Rugby World Cup.

cop/dpa