Stade de France is hosting fancy dress
There are a lot of photos like this rolling in. Great atmosphere by the looks, and from pretty early on.
A Springboks fan.Credit: Getty
France fan.Credit: Getty
The teams
France XV: 15. Thomas Ramos, 14. Damian Penaud, 13. Gael Fickou, 12. Jonathan Danty, 11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10. Matthieu Jalibert, 9. Antoine Dupont; 1. Cyril Baille, 2. Peato Mauvaka, 3. Uini Atonio, 4. Cameron Woki, 5. Thibaud Flament, 6. Anthony Jelonch, 7. Charles Ollivon, 8. Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: 16. Pierre Bourgarit, 17. Reda Wardi, 18. Dorian Aldegheri, 19. Romain Taofifenua, 20. Francois Cros, 21. Sekou Macalou, 22. Maxime Lucu, 23. Yoram Moefana
South Africa XV: 15 Damian Willemse; 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe; 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach; 1 Steven Kitshoff, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe; 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert; 6 Siya Kolisi, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith; 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux.
We’ll be watching out for Dupont
Antoine Dupont says he’s “ready to suffer” after being recalled by Les Bleus three weeks after breaking a cheekbone – the only change head coach Fabien Galthié‘s XI from last week’s win over Italy. Maxime Lucu has moved to the replacements’ bench.
Dupont has confirmed he will wear protective headgear in this match, having “progressively” built up training intensity, and insists he is 100 per cent fit.
All the quarter-final results
Wales 17-29 Argentina
Ireland 24-28 New Zealand
England 30-24 Fiji
You can read about those first two matches here.
Ardie Savea celebrates the All Blacks’ win over Ireland.Credit: AP
England have knocked out Fiji
In other news this morning, England ended Fiji’s crowd-pleasing run with a tense 30-24 win to reach the semi-finals for the sixth time.
The English countered a second-half fightback by the Flying Fijians as captain Owen Farrell kicked a drop goal and a penalty in the final eight minutes at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
It’ll be a welcome result for the northern hemisphere after quarter-final losses for Ireland and Wales on Saturday.
Here’s a match report.
England’s Ben Earl, left, is tackled by Fiji’s Viliame Mata.Credit: AP
What a match-up
France will be full of confidence. They enjoyed a tournament-opening win over the All Blacks, and have been smooth sailing since, despite that untimely injury to captain and scrum-half Antoine Dupont against Namibia. Will they be feeling the home pressure(?) that comes with the knockout stages?
It’s wild to think one of these two teams will not play in a World Cup semi-final. Three-time winners and defending champions South Africa are experts at this level, while France are – after Ireland’s loss to New Zealand – probably the favourites to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
If the hosts are allowed to play their pick-and-play offload game, they could well get on a roll, and their best might be better than that of the Springboks. But the Springboks might just be the team that can stop France playing at their best. So there you go. Makes for a fascinating encounter.
Hello and welcome
This is the final quarter-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The last but definitely not least at Stade de France. If you’re in Australia, top of the morning to you. If you’re in France, bonsoir, and I hope you’re at a venue with a screen in front of you instead of this blog. Please get in touch with me throughout the morning at [email protected].
