New Zealand and France with confirmed squads for start of RWC2023

Both teams, candidates for the title at France 2023, announced their starting fifteen for the introduction and opening ceremony of France 2023.

France have named Yoram Mofana as the starting center for their 2023 Rugby World Cup opener against New Zealand at the Stade de France in St Denis, replacing Jonathan Tandy, who is recovering from a leg injury. Friday.

1 Reda Wardy
2 Julien Marchand
3 Uni Adonio
4 Cameron Vokey
5 Thibaut Flament
6 Francois Cross
7 Charles Olive
8 Gregory Aldrid
9 Antoine Dupont
10 Matthew Jalibert
11 Cabin Willier
12 Yoram Mofana
13 Gaël Fickou
14 Damien Benaud
15 Thomas Ramos

Alternate:

16 Beto Mauaga
17 Jean-Baptiste Gros
18 Dorian Aldegheri
19 Romaine Thaophifenua
20 Paul Bowhand
21 Maxime Luce
22 Arthur Vincent
23 Melvin Jaminet

For their part, the All Blacks today named their squad for Friday’s opener against France:

With Richie Mo’unga reaching his 50th cap, New Zealand have named 23 players to play in the first match of RWC 2023 against the home side at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis.

1 Ethan de Groot
2 Crore Taylor
3 Nebo Laulala
4 Samuel Whitelock
5 Scott Barrett
6 Dalton Babali
7 Sam Kane (c)
8 RT Savia
9 Aaron Smith
10 Richie Mounga
11 Mark Delia
12 Anton Linert-Brown
13 Rieko Ioane
14 Will Jordan
15 Buton Barrett

Disabled people

16 Samisoni Toukeiho
17 Oba Tu’ungafasi
18 Fletcher Newell
19 Tupou Vaa’i
20 Luke Jacobson
21 Finlay Christie
22 David Haviley
23 Leicester Fainga’anuku

Data on some All Blacks

• 12 of the 23 players in the squad named by coach Ian Foster for Friday’s opener against France were from the last match between the two sides in 2021.

• Sam Whitelock, who won the Webb Ellis Cup in 2011 and 2015, will become the first player in Rugby World Cup history to win three titles.

• With 20 Rugby World Cup caps under his belt (Whitelock), he shares the record with 22 RWC appearances behind England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw.

• With 147 appearances, Whitelock is the third most capped player in world rugby behind Alun Wyn Jones (171) and Richie McCaw (148).

• New Zealand already have 16 players who have scored at least one try in the five Tests they have played this season. Will Jordan, Aaron Smith, Rico Ioane and Shannon Frisell all scored more than once.

• This is Beauton Barrett’s first appearance against France since 2018. He averaged 13.5 points per game against them in Paris and returns to Stade de France for the first time since 2017.

• It was the 50th game for All Blacks Richie Mounga (1,598), Andrew Mehrtens (967), and Beauton Barrett (645).

• Need to get first points against France in third game against them.

• He has missed just four attempts in the posts this season, converting 14 of 19 attempts, achieving 74% efficiency with his foot.

• Napo Laulala, who made his debut against Samoa in 2015, will reach 50 caps for New Zealand. It was his second game as a starter so far in 2023, after entering three of four games off the bench.

• Will Jordan has scored 23 tries in 25 games since making his debut for the All Blacks in 2020. Will try to score for the first time against France in 2021 after going 51 minutes without scoring a try in Paris.

• He is the All Black with the most clean breaks (10), offloads (10) and tacklers (14) this season.

• Arti Savia is the only player to have played every minute in 2023 so far, starting all five of New Zealand’s games this season.

• Anton Lienert-Brown will make his second start of the year, coming in relief after playing two of the season’s three games. They won four matches between 2016 and 2018 and have never lost a Test against France.

• Sam Kane captained the All Blacks for the first time against Namibia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In 2020, he replaces Kieran Reid as the captain for this edition.

• Sam Kane captained the All Blacks in his 10th Test of his career against France. Sam Whitelock was the captain when New Zealand met in 2021.