2023 Rugby World Cup final

The 2023 Rugby World Cup final will be a rugby union match played on 28 October 2023 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. It will mark the culmination of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and will be played between New Zealand and South Africa.[2]

2023 Rugby World Cup final
Stade de France will host the match
Event2023 Rugby World Cup
New Zealand South Africa
New Zealand South Africa
Date28 October 2023
VenueStade de France, Saint-Denis
RefereeWayne Barnes (England)[1]

New Zealand and South Africa last played in a Rugby World Cup final in 1995, which South Africa won 15–12. The two sides have met in five previous World Cup encounters with New Zealand winning three and South Africa winning two. This will be the first time that both teams arrive at the final having already lost a game during the World Cup. For New Zealand this will be a record fifth appearance in a final, whilst South Africa make a fourth appearance and also enter having never lost in a final. The final will see one of the sides win a record fourth World Cup title, with both sides already won the World Cup on three previous occasions: New Zealand in 1987, 2011 and 2015, and South Africa in 1995, 2007 and 2019.

Route to the final
New Zealand Round South Africa
Pool A Pool stage Pool B
Opponent Result Opponent Result
 France 13–27 Match 1  Scotland 18–3
 Namibia 71–3 Match 2  Romania 76–0
 Italy 96–17 Match 3  Ireland 8–13
 Uruguay 73–0 Match 4  Tonga 49–18
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA TF TA B Pts
1  France (H) 4 4 0 0 210 32 27 5 2 18
2  New Zealand 4 3 0 1 253 47 38 4 3 15
3  Italy 4 2 0 2 114 181 15 25 2 10
4  Uruguay 4 1 0 3 65 164 9 21 1 5
5  Namibia 4 0 0 4 37 255 3 37 0 0
Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: Pool stage tiebreakers
(H) Host
 Final standing
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA TF TA B Pts
1  Ireland 4 4 0 0 190 46 27 5 3 19
2  South Africa 4 3 0 1 151 34 22 4 3 15
3  Scotland 4 2 0 2 146 71 21 10 2 10
4  Tonga 4 1 0 3 96 177 13 25 1 5
5  Romania 4 0 0 4 32 287 4 43 0 0
Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: Pool stage tiebreakers
Opponent Result Knockout stage Opponent Result
 Ireland 28–24 Quarter-finals  France 29–28
 Argentina 44–6 Semi-finals  England 16–15

New Zealand
The winning team will receive the Webb Ellis Cup.

New Zealand began their World Cup campaign with a defeat to hosts France in the opening match of the tournament.[3] They would put that result behind them as they went on to win by a considerable margin in all of their remaining pool matches to qualify for the knockout stage, with a 71–3 victory over Namibia,[4] 96–17 against Italy,[5] and 73–0 against Uruguay.[6] In the quarter-finals, New Zealand faced Pool B winners and number 1 ranked in the world Ireland, where they came out winners in a tight affair with a scoreline of 28–24.[7] In the semi-final at the Stade de France, New Zealand played Argentina, where The All Blacks defeated Los Pumas 44–6[8] to reach their fifth Rugby World Cup final, a record as they went ahead of Australia and England who had both reached four finals. The All Blacks were also looking for their record fourth Rugby World Cup title, having won the inaugural edition in 1987 along with the 2011 and 2015 editions.

South Africa

Defending champions South Africa had reached what was their fourth Rugby World Cup final following a spell of tight margins in the lead up. The Springboks had managed to breeze through Pool B, where despite falling at the Ireland hurdle in a 13–8 defeat,[9] they secured victories over Scotland,[10] Romania,[11] and Tonga[12] to finish second in the pool and advance to the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they faced the hosts France, who had topped Pool A ahead of New Zealand. In a World Cup thriller at the Stade de France, South Africa overcame their French counterparts with a 29–28 victory.[13] In the semi-final, South Africa played England, in a repeat of the 2007 and 2019 final. In another tight affair in Saint-Denis, South Africa completed a comeback through a late Handré Pollard penalty to win 16–15[14] and advance to their fourth Rugby World Cup final where they would attempt to defend their trophy.

Match

Details
28 October 2023
21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
New Zealand v South Africa
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)[1]

Assistant referees:[1]
Karl Dickson (England)
Matthew Carley (England)
Television match official:[1]
Tom Foley (England)

See also

References
  1. "Wayne Barnes to referee Rugby World Cup 2023 final".
  2. "World Cup 2023 final". Reuters. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  3. Henson, Mike (8 September 2023). "Hosts record impressive opening World Cup win over three-time champions". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. "All Blacks run in 11 tries but Ethan de Groot sent off". BBC Sport. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. Rindl, Joe (29 September 2023). "All Blacks move to cusp of Rugby World Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  6. Telfer, Alastair (5 October 2023). "All Blacks reach quarter-finals with 11-try win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  7. Gault, Matt (14 October 2023). "All Blacks break Irish hearts and set up Argentina semi-final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  8. Mann, Mantej (20 October 2023). "All Blacks cruise into record fifth final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  9. Gault, Matt (23 September 2023). "Irish earn statement World Cup win over holders in Paris". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  10. Duncan, Thomas (10 September 2023). "Springboks too strong for Scots in Rugby World Cup opener". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  11. Rindl, Joe (17 September 2023). "Cobus Reinach scores second-fastest World Cup hat-trick". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  12. Telfer, Alastair (1 October 2023). "World champions edge towards quarter-finals with bonus-point win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  13. Mann, Mantej (15 October 2023). "Defending champions overcome hosts in World Cup thriller". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  14. Henson, Mike (21 October 2023). "Springboks fightback settles World Cup semi-final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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