The harsh law of sport invites its actors to great humility. Rugby is no exception to the rule. We saw it with Australia, double world champion and on the verge of elimination in the first round, which would be a first in its history. First in its group with 13 points and three victories in three matches, France is not yet guaranteed to appear in the great feast of the quarter-finals scheduled for October 14 and 15. Opposed to Italy for the last day of Group A, October 6, the Blues could even in a hypothetical but real scenario say goodbye to the competition from the first round.
Rugby World Cup 2023: the Blues should not regret the missed offensive bonus against Uruguay
As a reminder, only the top two nations qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. With its flawless performance, France is in the lead with 13 points. New Zealand and Italy follow with 10 points. The Blues are masters of their destiny. A victory against the Translapins in Lyon would secure first place in the group and a quarter-final against the runner-up in Group B – probably South Africa – on October 15. But a defeat would call everything into question.
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To begin with, let’s take for granted New Zealand’s victory against Uruguay, almost certainly qualifying the All Blacks for the quarters. In parallel, if Italy were to win and France fails to take the defensive bonus – which rewards a defeat of less than seven points with one point – the Squadra Azzura would have 14 points, one more than France which would be relegated to third place synonymous with a farewell to the World Cup. In the event of an Italian victory with a French defensive bonus, the two nations would be tied (14) but it would be Ange Capuozzo’s partners who would pass in front of the French, under direct confrontation, which prevails in the event of a tie. Be careful not to regret the match against Uruguay where the Blues won by taking only four points, they who could have claimed the additional unit of the offensive bonus. To do this, it was necessary to score four tries, which Antoine Dupont and his team did not manage to do. Deprived of their captain, the Tricolores will therefore have to do the job to avoid a great and unprecedented disillusionment, they who have always invited themselves into the top 8 in the world.
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2023 Rugby World Cup France-Italy: the Blues must ensure victory without Antoine Dupont
Already deprived before the start of the competition of their number 10 Romain Ntamack, seriously injured in the knee during the preparation meeting against Scotland, the Blues are now without their scrum-half Antoine Dupont. The best player in the world 2021 has not sufficiently recovered from his maxillo-zygomatic fraction contracted during the match against Namibia. An opinion from his surgeon will be given on October 9 to find out if Fabien Galthié will be able to count on their strong man for the rest of the competition. We will already have to ensure qualification, before we can allow ourselves to dream of a return of the captain for the start of the knockout matches.
Rugby World Cup 2023: the hypotheses for France to qualify for the quarter-finals against Italy
In summary :
France qualified if….
– She wins or draws against Italy.
– She loses by less than seven points by scoring four or more tries, while conceding a maximum of three tries.
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