Dupont helps France win the Rugby World Cup.

England was the last and only Six Nations team to win the World Cup in 2003. In Sydney, England defeated an Australian team coached by Eddie Jones with a drop goal in extra time.

From that point forward, the prize has remained immovably in the South Half of the globe: South Africa won in 2007 and 2019, while New Zealand prevailed in 2011 and 2015.

Dupont’s role in France’s resurgence under coach Fabien Galthie, who has employed eye-pleasing strategies centered on free-running backs and a disciplined pack, suggests that the time is right.

While the deficiency of fly-half Romain Ntamack to injury is a blow, France brag a profound crew with a consistency in choice frequently missing in past missions.

Dupont told AFP, “We’ve never been so well prepared.” We have won 80% of our matches and the Six Countries in 2022.

“We have a promising generation of talented players who have accumulated experience and continuity as the team’s foundation. Over the past ten years, that hasn’t been the case.

Therefore, all systems are operational. Additionally, we are hoping for public support because we are fortunate enough to be hosting the competition.

Nine venues across France, which previously hosted the 2007 World Cup and also staged several matches as joint hosts of the 1991 edition, will host the final major global sporting event before the Paris Olympics next year.

Everyone’s eyes will be on a fantasy start to the competition when France play the three-time title holder All Blacks at the Stade de France on Friday: A lot of pundits think this matchup could end up being the final at the same stadium on October 28.

A loss for France wouldn’t mean doom, notwithstanding. In the 2019 opener in Japan, New Zealand defeated South Africa, but the Springboks defeated England in the final.

“Is there anything better than New Zealand?” inquired Galthie. Since the start of the World Cup, this team has not lost a pool match. Ever. 31 wins.

“This is a team that has won three World Cups… We are thrilled to play them. Friday’s match is a festival, a delight, an incredible bliss for us. It’s fantastic.

Bill Beaumont, the chairman of World Rugby, added: Our sport was founded 200 years ago, and France is the ideal location to commemorate our anniversary.

Despite their recent success, France are not the Six Nations Grand Slam champions. Ireland, who started the competition as the No. 1 nation in the world, was the last nation to win that honor. One ranked team.

After serving a suspension for abusing referee Jaco Peyper during Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle, talismanic fly-half Johnny Sexton will return to captain Andy Farrell’s team.

In their final warmup match, South Africa, led by their first black captain, Siya Kolisi, defeated New Zealand by a record score of 35-7. This was a timely reminder that Springbok rugby has few rivals today.

From Kolisi at flanker to the indomitable scrum-half Faf de Klerk and the renowned “bomb squad,” a mass deployment of replacement forwards in the second half of games, Coach Jacques Nienaber’s team oozes quality.

Coach Ian Foster was blunt when asked if he thinks New Zealand can win the World Cup, even though the Boks made the All Blacks suffer.

“I do. He stated, “It’s a well-tried group that has endured a lot of hardship, stayed together, and found solutions.”

Australia has a mixed record. After leaving England, Eddie Jones took over the Wallabies and brought in a slew of newcomers, including veteran captain Michael Hooper and fly-half Quade Cooper. He gave the captaincy to goliath La Rochelle lock Will Skelton.

Similar to 2015 and 2019, when the Wallabies also played Wales and Fiji, many pundits picked them as dark horses for the tournament after their historic 30-22 victory over England last month, they face a tough pool this time around.

With respect to Britain, beaten finalists in 2019, Steve Borthwick has managed six losses in nine matches since taking over from Jones.

Borthwick said of their crucial first game against Argentina, “We’ve seen signs of growth in certain areas and other areas have dropped off.” However, “Saturday is about building and bringing this together.”

As part of the crackdown on shocks related to head injuries, skipper Owen Farrell and number eight Billy Vunipola will be out due to bans for dangerous tackles. Referees in general will be under a lot of pressure to take action against offenders.