It was still good! Obviously, nothing will relieve the immense frustration of the supporters of a French XV beaten by one point by South Africa in the quarter-final (28-29).
But some great moments of this first World Cup entirely organized in France will be remembered: the inaugural victory of the Blues over the All Blacks in the opening match (27-13); Ireland’s show of strength in group play before stumbling in the quarter against New Zealand (24-28); the soap opera of Antoine Dupont’s injury; the English who are putting up resistance; Australia’s air gap; Argentina which reaches the semi-final; the rise to power of Fiji or the warm emergence of Portugal…
And a new coronation for the Springboks from the charismatic Siya Kolisi, four years after the World Cup in Japan. South Africa, which beat New Zealand, once again by a small point, in the final (12-11), made history by becoming the first team to be crowned four times.
All these magical moments, illustrated by the most beautiful images of the competition, can be found in this Guestbook of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. David Reyrat, senior reporter at Le Figaro in charge of the rugby section since 1997.
