Scotland back-rower Jack Dempsey cannot wait to land in France this weekend and start “soaking in” what he believes will be a spectacular Rugby World Cup.

The Sydney-born 29-year-old went to the 2019 showpiece in Japan, by his own admission, as a peripheral figure within Australia’s squad.

But he will fly into Nice this Sunday afternoon as a key member of Scotland’s 33-man pool after taking advantage of a change in World Rugby’s eligibility rules that allowed him to switch allegiance to his grandfather’s country last year.

Dempsey expects hosts France to put on an “epic” event over the next two months and – having rediscovered career contentment and top form since joining Glasgow from New South Wales Waratahs two years ago – he is delighted to be competing at the tournament with a national squad in which he now feels firmly embedded.

“Having one World Cup experience under my belt, you realise how big a thing it is and I think you’re more grateful for it the second time,” Dempsey told the PA news agency. “I’m more prepared to soak it all in.

“To do it with this bunch of lads, it’s one of the best environments I’ve been in on and off the field. Everyone gets on, everyone’s a good bloke.

“When you get up and go to work it’s enjoyable and you have places in your career where it’s not like that. That’s the biggest thing about this crew that I like.

“To go to a World Cup, which is as big as it gets as a rugby player, something you dream of as a kid, and the fact the French, who are the best showmen in the world, are putting it on, I think it’s going to be epic.

“As a collective, everyone in rugby, we want these big tournaments like World Cups, Lions Series and Six Nations to promote the game and the grow the game, and I think the French are the best people to do it at this point in time just because of how good they are at putting on events.”

Dempsey made two pool-stage appearances for the Wallabies at the last World Cup but was not in the 23 for the quarter-final defeat by England and felt like a bit-part player.

“I’d only played seven or eight games of rugby in that calendar year, I’d had a lot of injuries and I just scraped through really in terms of getting picked,” he recalled. “I was probably the last name put down in the back row.”

Dempsey’s status with the Wallabies four years ago is in stark contrast to the prominence he enjoys with Scotland, where he has established himself as a key member of Gregor Townsend’s back row.

“My role then was very different to what it is now,” he said. “Here I’m like a specialist number eight but back then I was more utility, I was a six, I was a seven.

“I think that shows the maturation in the cycle of my career. I’m a more complete player to what I was back then. I’m loving my rugby at the moment.

“Since moving to Glasgow, I’ve enjoyed my role in the team. I think Scotland and Glasgow have really identified what my strengths are and put me in positions to use those strengths, which is not always something you can say in your career.

“I have a very clear, precise role which Gregor gives me with Scotland and I just go out and do it. We’re playing an attractive game of rugby, I think France, New Zealand and us are leading the way in terms of aesthetic rugby and it’s pleasing to be a part of.

“That’s the way I like to play and I’m hoping to bring that to the World Cup.”

Andy Farrell believes Ireland must remain calm and “roll with the punches” to realise their potential at the Rugby World Cup.

Former dual code international Farrell is preparing for his first global tournament as head coach having previously been involved as a player and an assistant coach.

Six Nations champions Ireland have topped the world rankings for more than a year and arrived in France on Thursday among the favourites to go all the way.

Englishman Farrell has welcomed setbacks during his tenure to challenge his players and prevent them becoming fazed on the biggest stage.

“The key learnings are the scenarios that we’ve tried to put ourselves through in the last few years,” the 48-year-old said of his previous World Cup experiences in both rugby union and rugby league.

“You hear me say constantly ‘best laid plans and all that’, it’s 100 per cent that at a World Cup.

“The ones that get flustered with all that because they’re not ready for all different types of permutations are the ones that lose the plot.

“The key to progressing in a competition like this is staying calm, keeping your feet under you and making sure that you just roll with the punches and be the best version of yourself no matter what happens and have no-excuse mentality.

“We’ve tried to put ourselves in those type of positions before and we know what’s coming through.”

Ireland have been placed in the tougher half of the draw and begin their campaign next Saturday against Romania in Bordeaux.

Farrell’s men then face Tonga, reigning champions South Africa and Scotland in Pool B, with hosts France or New Zealand likely opponents should they progress to the quarter-finals.

Asked if this is the most competitive and open World Cup, Farrell said: “I think everyone loves to say that anyway.

“Everyone wants it to be like that because there’s so many good teams that can beat each other on any given day.

“The pressures of the competition within itself, the history of all that shows that it is going to be a wide-open competition. So one step at a time. Let’s see if we can build some momentum.”

Farrell assisted Joe Schmidt at the 2019 World Cup before stepping up to become Ireland boss following a quarter-final exit against the All Blacks.

The opening year of his reign, amid the coronavirus pandemic, brought mixed results but his side have won 25 of 27 Tests dating back to round three of the 2021 Six Nations.

“I’m not surprised,” Farrell said of the progress. “If you’re talking four years ago then we probably didn’t know the total plan as in what we’ve been through and what we’re going through.

“The process has always been for the here and now, and the medium term, and the long term.

“A lot tend to go from cycle to cycle and chop a few and carry on.

“I think the right way, for me anyway, is to grow and develop competition as we go and then when we get to something like this (World Cup) watch and learn and let’s pick accordingly on what’s right on the team.”

Mike Tindall has urged England to pick Alex Mitchell or Danny Care for their critical World Cup opener against Argentina in the hope it will ignite their misfiring attack.

A dire build-up to the tournament that begins next weekend has led to a run of five defeats in six Tests, plunging Steve Borthwick’s team to eighth in the global rankings.

One of the few positives to emerge from a calamitous loss to Fiji last Saturday was the dynamism visible at scrum-half from Mitchell, a late call-up to the squad because of Jack van Poortvliet’s ankle injury.

Tindall, a 2003 World Cup winner, believes either Mitchell or veteran Care must start even though that means dropping England’s most-capped player in Ben Youngs.

“Alex Mitchell did a fantastic job of lifting the pace,” Infinity Sports Travel ambassador Tindall told the PA news agency.

“The pace we play at has become a problem. If you look at every nation around the world now, speed of ball is the key.

“You need fast ball so you play Alex Mitchell or Danny Care with the other one on the bench because you need to keep the tempo that high.

“No disrespect to Ben Youngs, he’s been one of the great servants to English rugby but that’s something he doesn’t do well now.

“He slows the ball down a lot because he’s trying to make decisions. With the type of athletes we have, you want them getting fast ball on the front foot.

“The team since 2019 hasn’t fired in attack. Every game we’ve played since 2020 it’s looked like we’ve tried to beat South Africa in the final again.

“England are at their best when playing high tempo, trusting in their skill set and varying their attack. That’s disappeared over the last couple of years.”

England’s qualification from a group that also includes Japan, Samoa and Chile was considered a formality until a series of warm-up fixtures that produced a solitary win against Wales at Twickenham.

A pivotal opener against Argentina on September 9 has now take on even greater significance but Tindall is convinced if the players take ownership, they can turn the ship around.

“Expectation has dropped to the point no one is expecting anything of them. The players have got to feel that hurt. They’re the only ones who can change it,” the former Bath and Gloucester centre said.

“You can see there’s still a good camaraderie off the field, which is half the battle given where they are.

“They are one performance away from turning the corner and getting some self-belief back. Hopefully that’s against Argentina. That’s their World Cup final.

“Don’t just scrape the win, they need to back themselves to the hilt and put in a performance.

“You never expect England to be ranked eighth in the world but that’s where they are and World Cups are very unpredictable.

“They’re two big performances away from being in the semi-finals and then anything can happen. There are lots of things in their favour if they can just find some form.”

* Join Mike Tindall on an exclusive Rugby World Cup cruise with Infinity Sports Travel. Trips for the quarter-finals with match tickets are still available at www.infinitysportstravel.com

One of the most eagerly-awaited tournaments in Rugby World Cup history will unfold in France during September and October.

It takes place across nine host cities – Paris, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nantes and Lille – with more than 2.5 million tickets sold.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the competition.

A wide-open tournament?

Only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have won the World Cup during its nine previous stagings. The All Blacks and Springboks are once again expected to feature prominently, but Ireland and France can be confidently added to that mix. Six Nations champions Ireland, under the coaching direction of Andy Farrell, surged to top spot in rugby union’s world rankings, while Les Bleus’ thrilling playing style and power game are an irresistible combination. A lop-sided draw – it was carried out in December 2020 – has all the heavy-hitters in its top half, which could assist teams like the Wallabies and Wales merely adding to the intrigue.

England up against it

It is 20 years since England conquered the rugby world – a success built from an imposing platform provided by players like Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Robinson and Richard Hill. Two more finals followed in 2007 and 2019 – England lost both – and they will arrive in France following a difficult build-up. New head coach Steve Borthwick, appointed earlier this year, oversaw an underwhelming Six Nations campaign, while key players Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola are suspended for opening World Cup pool action after being sent off during warm-up games. There is little to suggest that England will be title contenders.

Discipline in the spotlight

The widespread hope is that France 2023 will be remembered above anything else for the quality of rugby on show – but it is not guaranteed. High tackles, red cards, yellow cards and disciplinary hearings are an inevitability, while spectators are becoming accustomed with the foul play review bunker, where a second television match official can decide – on referral from the referee – if a yellow card should become red. Coaches will want consistency, too, on punishments handed out by disciplinary chiefs – England captain Farrell’s recent case highlighting that need – and all matters being efficiently and promptly dealt with.

Warren Gatland back for more

Gatland could not have imagined a year ago that he would be back as Wales head coach and preparing for a fourth World Cup. His original 11-year stint in the job ended after the last tournament in Japan, but the Welsh Rugby Union turned to him following Wayne Pivac’s departure after a miserable 2022 when Wales lost nine Tests, including demoralising home defeats against Italy and Georgia. Gatland’s World Cup record with Wales is impressive – two semi-final appearances and one quarter-final – while he relishes an underdog status that regularly accompanies his players. A 33-1 shot, Wales might not be expected to feature at the tournament’s business-end, but Gatland will have other ideas.

Magnifique! France to triumph

Since the first World Cup in 1987, France have won 11 Five and Six Nations titles, including five Grand Slams, yet the biggest prize of all has eluded them. World Cup finalists 36 years ago, then again in 1999 and 2011, they finished as runner-up each time. But if Les Bleus can cope with host nation expectation and pressure, something they failed to do when France last staged the tournament in 2007, then this could be their time. They have the players – Antoine Dupont, Gregory Alldritt, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou and Charles Ollivon, to name just five – and coaching team to thrive. If France beat New Zealand in game one, then their momentum could prove unstoppable.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell insists there is “no point turning up” to the Rugby World Cup in France without ambitions of claiming the ultimate prize.

Farrell has already helped his side scale new heights, having masterminded last summer’s unprecedented tour success in New Zealand.

Ireland rose to the top of the world rankings on the back of that historic triumph and have remained there ever since thanks in part to an autumn win over world champions South Africa and a Six Nations grand slam.

Yet they have never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage of the sport’s premier competition and, despite prolonged impressive form and an eye-catching brand of rugby, face a tough task to snap that statistic.

Ireland must negotiate arguably the tournament’s trickiest group – containing the Springboks and Scotland – and will then likely need to defeat either hosts France or the All Blacks in Paris in order to secure a maiden last-four berth.

Farrell regularly champions a no-excuses mentality and has urged his players to have unwavering belief as they bid to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at Stade de France on October 28.

Asked if Ireland are targeting the trophy, he replied: “Why wouldn’t we?

“There’s an attitude within the group that we chase every day to make sure we’re better as a team, better as individuals.

“But what we’ve done in the past adds to a little bit of belief, how we are pushing to get better.

“We’ll be judged in the coming weeks but the confidence that we hope to have going into a World Cup has to be rock solid.

“There’s no point turning up for a World Cup if we don’t believe we can win it.”

Ireland have beaten each of their major rivals since Farrell succeeded Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

They launch their campaign against rank outsiders Romania in Bordeaux on September 9 before taking on Tonga in Nantes a week later.

Paris showdowns with South Africa and Scotland will then provide far sterner tests as Pool B reaches its climax.

Ireland travel to the tournament on a 13-match winning streak, with away defeats to New Zealand and France the only blemishes during a remarkable run of 25 victories from 27 Tests stretching back to February 2021.

Farrell, who was assistant to Schmidt between 2016 and 2019, is striving for perfection and has an unrelenting desire for improvement.

“We have to keep evolving as a team,” said the 48-year-old Englishman. “I’m not saying we’re tinkering with things all the time but we have to keep evolving.

“And I know that this is a broken record but it’s the truth: no part of our game is anywhere near good enough.

“It’s not and nor will it be really, ever. We’re all striving for perfection, we’re all striving to reach our potential.

“It’s being able to roll with the punches and be at your best with whatever a Test match throws at you. Every single area of our game isn’t where it could be, isn’t where it needs to be.”

Given their form and their flair, Gregor Townsend’s swashbuckling Scotland side are heading to the Rugby World Cup in France with no fear and bags of belief.

The confidence within the squad is just as well because – due to the draw being made some three years ago – they have had the misfortune of being placed in a formidable pool along with two of the world’s established heavyweights in Ireland and South Africa.

Ordinarily, such a scenario would leave Scotland supporters resigned to a group-stage exit. Yet this team, ranked fifth in the world, has delivered enough under Townsend, particularly over the past year, to suggest it is ready to peak in France and find a way into the knockout phase.

That will almost certainly require a victory over one of the two powerhouses in the group, but three exhilarating showdowns with hosts France – a home win and two narrow away defeats – this calendar year allied to the fact they led New Zealand by nine points with less than 20 minutes to play last November have helped imbue the Scots with a belief that they can match any team on the planet.

Ireland and South Africa have proven particularly tough nuts for Townsend’s team to crack, but there is a growing feeling that the burgeoning Scots are now equipped to take the scalps of at least one of these big-hitters and give themselves a chance of going deep into the tournament.

“We have to look at it beyond the group stages,” experienced lock Grant Gilchrist told the PA news agency. “If you want to do well at a Rugby World Cup you’re going to have to play the best teams in the world.

“We have two of the best in the world in our group and we have to see that as a positive that we get to go out and really test ourselves against the best teams and prove we can beat them.

“We believe that if we get the best version of ourselves on the pitch at any given time we can beat these big teams.

“We’re going to have to produce the goods in the group stage if we want to progress but if you want to do really well in the tournament, you need to beat big teams.”

Gilchrist is going to his third-consecutive World Cup. In both 2015 and 2019 the Scots went into the tournament with high hopes before suffering quarter-final and group-stage exits respectively.

Gilchrist feels there is genuine evidence this time to support the belief that Scotland really are equipped to consistently deal with the world’s top teams – as well as the smaller ones like pool rivals Tonga and Romania – amid the intensity of a World Cup.

“We’ve shown we can compete with all the top nations but we probably haven’t put together that complete performance yet,” he said.

“That’s where we sit in a really good position because we’ve got real evidence to support our belief that we can beat anyone but we also have an understanding of what it takes and how hard it is to produce on the big stage in the big games.

“If we can do that in France, it’s going to be a great World Cup for this group.”

Gilchrist is one of 14 members of the current squad who were also involved four years ago as Townsend’s team suffered an ignominious group-stage exit in Japan following defeats to Ireland and the host nation.

“It was a long time ago and we’ve come a long way since then but I know the guys who felt the way we did after Japan – I know I will – will be driven to make sure we don’t feel like that again this time,” said Gilchrist.

As well as being fuelled by a desire to right the wrongs of 2019, Scotland, who finished third in the Six Nations this year, are also buoyed by a scintillating back-line that is the envy of most teams on the planet.

Duhan Van Der Merwe, Darcy Graham, Finn Russell, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu are just some of the rampant backs who can cause panic in even the most-robust defences and whose presence adds to the notion that Scotland are now better placed to deliver than in previous World Cup campaigns.

“It’s hard to compare because I was part of all three squads (2015, 2019 and 2023) and I felt in both 2015 and 2019, we had a squad that was capable of doing well but we just didn’t quite achieve in both,” said Gilchrist.

“In 2015, we were very close. It’s hard to compare one team against the other because I was part of them all and I know how much we believed we were going to do well in Japan.

“But if we’re talking about this squad, we’re in a really good place. We’ve got a bit of work to do but if we can make sure we perform for 80 minutes, we can do something at this World Cup.

“That’s the belief within the group. We know the challenges we face but that excites us and I think we’re in a position to go and face them head on.”

Wales know they are in safe hands when Warren Gatland leads them to his fourth Rugby World Cup as head coach.

But it could prove to be the New Zealander’s biggest challenge of all after a difficult 12 months on and off the pitch.

Since Wales claimed a first victory over the Springboks in South Africa last year, they have won just three out of 13 Tests.

Wayne Pivac left his role as head coach following an autumn campaign when Wales lost at home to Georgia, before Gatland returned for a second stint in the top job.

There was also a significant backdrop of major financial issues and contractual uncertainty throughout the Welsh professional game, so much so that a threatened players’ strike dominated the build-up to Wales’ Guinness Six Nations clash with England in February.

A miserable fifth-placed finish in the tournament followed, but since naming an expanded training squad more than three months ago, Gatland has had time and space to gradually piece things back together through punishing camps in Switzerland and Turkey, plus through three World Cup warm-up games.

Underpinned by a World Cup record with Wales of two semi-final appearances and one quarter-final, Gatland knows the ropes and he is unquestionably relishing the task that lies ahead.

“I think if I look back on the Six Nations and all the things that were going on, I probably needed to let things unfold a bit and not be as direct or demanding as I might have normally been,” he said.

“The fact that things have settled down and a lot of new players have come in, the way that we’ve been so much more accountable for how we do things and demanding standards, that has been brilliant.

“As a group, we are in a good place. I promise you now, we will surprise some people.

“It is one step at a time. It’s about getting out of your pool first, and then see where you are. You don’t look too far ahead.

“I think every team is focusing on that – get out of your pool and take it one step at a time.”

Fiji are first up for Wales in Bordeaux, followed by Portugal, Australia and Georgia. Portugal are the only team not in Wales’ World Cup group of four years ago.

Gatland added: “We are pretty clear how we want to play against Fiji. We know how dangerous they are.

“They will have had five warm-up games before the World Cup, so they are going to be rugby-fit. We are all well aware of how important that first game is.

“If you can win that game you get some momentum, and then you can get some confidence, and hopefully you have a chance to win the group.”

Sixteen members of Gatland’s 33-strong World Cup squad, including co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, have never previously never set foot on rugby union’s biggest global stage.

But there are also four cap centurions in George North, who heads to a fourth World Cup, Dan Biggar, Leigh Halfpenny and Taulupe Faletau, plus another six with more than 50 caps.

“It was trying to get the balance right with the experience,” Gatland said. “Some of the discussion was around what experienced players we felt we needed to take with some of the youngsters who have come into the squad.

“The beauty of this World Cup is that we do get some more breathing space with the time between games.

“The first game and the second games are a short turnaround, and then we’ve got an eight-day turnaround to Australia and then 13 days to the Georgia game.

“In the past it has been a challenge when you have had a four-day turnaround. It is a little bit more of a luxury in terms of that, so hopefully it gives us an opportunity to keep players fit and to freshen some players up between games.”

The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8.

Here, PA looks at some of the numbers behind the tournament’s history.

10 – This is the 10th staging of the World Cup.

4 – The number of different winners (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England).

3 – The record for most wins, shared by New Zealand and reigning champions South Africa.

3 – Hosts France have reached three previous finals, losing to New Zealand in 1987 and 2011 and Australia in 1999.

142-0 – Record World Cup win, by Australia over Namibia in 2003. Their 22 tries were also a record.

277 – Former England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who kicked the winning drop goal in the 2003 final, is the tournament’s record points scorer.

15 – Former wingers Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) and Bryan Habana (South Africa) share the try-scoring record.

22 – England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s double World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw have made the most appearances at the tournament.

51 – Number of points in the highest-scoring World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia in 2015.

2 – The number of finals that were decided by extra-time (1995 and 2003).

20 – The number of countries that will take part in the 2023 World Cup.

1 – Chile will be making their World Cup debut.

16 – Years since Portugal’s only previous appearance.

48 – The number of games at the 2023 World Cup.

49 – The number of days the tournament will last for.

9 – The number of different stadiums that will host games in France.

1 – Ireland’s Joy Neville, named as a television match official, will be the first woman to officiate matches at a men’s World Cup.

England enter the World Cup at their lowest ebb yet because of the most lopsided draw in the tournament’s history they still have hope of reaching the quarter-finals.

A disastrous build-up has seen the on-field decline evident since Japan 2019 accelerate, the influential Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola banned for dangerous tackles and injuries sweep through a squad of which so little is now expected.

Of the original 33 players selected for France, Anthony Watson and Jack van Poortvliet have withdrawn with calf and ankle injuries, while doubts hover over other front line stars such as Tom Curry, Kyle Sinckler and Elliot Daly.

The final indignity was inflicted through a 30-22 loss to Fiji – England’s first ever defeat to a current tier-two nation – as part of a run that has produced a solitary victory in six Tests.

The sinking ship that Steve Borthwick inherited in December has now been run aground and after just nine matches in charge concerns are being raised over his management team.

While fans respond to the malaise with a mixture of apathy and fury, England’s under pressure head coach takes comfort from knowing that some of the problems are a hangover from the Eddie Jones era – and that statistically they have already had their share of misfortune on some fronts.

“Understanding there are going to be certain times when there are setbacks is part of the sport at this level. We understand this has not been a clear process of a four-year cycle to get to this point,” Borthwick said.

“I have no doubt there are going to be more injuries – for every team. We have gone through our time of having bangs and bruises, we have gone through our time of having a couple of disciplinary processes.

“Every team is going to go through it, and if I could choose my time to go through it, it would probably be now rather than when we’re out in France.

“In terms of performances there have been aspects that have developed. If we go back to not that long ago we were talking about a team that didn’t rank high in the world rankings in any particular aspect of the game.”

For all the despair of recent weeks, the rugby gods have smiled on England by placing them in the World Cup’s easiest group alongside Argentina, Japan, Chile and Samoa.

The Pumas stormed Twickenham in the autumn and are favourites to clinch a seismic opener in Marseille on September 9, but even allowing for their current situation Borthwick’s men should successfully negotiate their remaining Pool D rivals.

Japan are not the daredevil force of four years ago, Chile are ranked 22 in the world and Samoa are dangerous but are hindered by the same kind of historic shortcomings that once held Fiji back.

If they reach the quarter-finals – and it would be the darkest of days at Twickenham if they failed to – then they would face Wales, Australia or Fiji, each of whom would be formidable opponents for this English vintage but are also beatable.

And so, despite entering the World Cup in their joint lowest rankings position of eighth, one of the least potent sides to have left these shores could creep into the semi-finals.

The 2007 tournament which England started abysmally only to reach the final will be invoked to add to the glimmer of hope provided by the draw, but whatever transpires fans should buckle up for a bumpy ride.

There is a neat statistical symmetry that suggests the 2023 Rugby World Cup might be won by Ireland or France.

Since the sport’s world rankings were launched 20 years ago, all five subsequent world champions were either ranked first or fourth close to the tournament kicking off.

Ireland and France occupied those positions during recent weeks, and neither nation has previously been crowned world champions, with no new name being engraved on the trophy since England in 2003.

It is, of course, way more complicated than that to confidently suggest a winner but such a scenario underlines what many believe is a wide-open tournament.

In the World Cup’s 36-year history, only four countries – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England – have triumphed.

Six Nations champions Ireland and France can be added to the mix this time around, though, as genuine contenders, although a World Cup draw carried out in December 2020 has generated a serious imbalance with tournament heavyweights South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland and France all in its top half.

While those teams are on a quarter-final collision course in Paris, the best of the rest would point to Australia, Argentina, England and Wales.

There is real potential for the World Cup final to be a one-sided affair, which is not being critical of any participant, but more questioning why such an important draw is conducted so long before the competition.

France and New Zealand are in the same pool, while Ireland, South Africa and a dangerous Scotland team have been grouped together. Elsewhere, Pool C sees Australia, Wales and Fiji in direct competition, with England, Argentina and Japan the main Pool D protagonists.

France meet the All Blacks, who are reeling from their all-time record defeat of 35-7 in a warm-up fixture against South Africa, in a mouthwatering tournament opener.

The 40-match pool phase will be played out across nine host cities – Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon, Lille, Saint-Etienne and Nantes – with £2.5million tickets sold.

It can only be hoped that France 2023 will be remembered for the rugby on show, with inevitable disciplinary matters not overshadowing it.

High tackles, foul play, red cards, yellow cards and disciplinary hearings will be part of it all. Coaches will want consistency, too, on punishments handed out by disciplinary chiefs – England captain Owen Farrell’s recent case highlighting that need – and all matters being efficiently and promptly dealt with.

If rugby is to be the winner, then it will require a host of superstar names to lead the way.

And that prospect is one to savour, given the presence of players such as France captain Antoine Dupont, South African backs Cheslin Kolbe and Canan Moodie, New Zealand full-back Beauden Barrett, Ireland’s current world player of the year Josh van der Flier, genial Fiji centre Semi Radradra and exciting Italian star Ange Capuozo.

The ingredients are all there for a genuine showcase of rugby at its finest, with some thunderous games in store and potentially memories to last a lifetime.

If France can cope with the enormous host nation pressure that will accompany them, then a magnificent first World Cup triumph for Dupont’s team would be one to savour.

There is a small queue forming behind them, though, potentially led by a South African squad that appears primed to successfully defend the world crown.

Former coach Eddie Jones has pointed the finger at the Rugby Football Union for England’s current crisis.

England’s troubled World Cup preparations hit a new low when they lost to Fiji last weekend, which was the fifth defeat in their last six matches.

They have subsequently slipped to their lowest ranking in 20 years and expectations of a promising campaign in France over the next two months are low.

It is a rapid decline from the last World Cup in 2019, where Jones took them to the final. And he believes while current coach Steve Borthwick is coming under pressure, the governing body is responsible for failing to produce the next generation of talent.

“It’s a difficult situation, like you’ve got an ageing team,” Jones, who left his position with the RFU in 2022 and will lead his home country Australia into the tournament, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

“Anyone who knows anything about sport can see that and then you’ve got new players coming in. Some of them have come through and done really well, like a Freddy Stewart, others are still finding their feet, like a Marcus Smith.

“You look at the results of England over the last five years but they’re not producing quality players.

“And so everyone looks at the head coach and let’s blame the head coach. But the onus on producing quality players is the RFU and that hasn’t happened.

“You’ve got to look at why you’re not bringing talent through, then you’ve got to look at why your talent development systems are not doing that.

“(It’s) because the system’s not right. What needs to change? Where’s the gap? And that’s the responsibility of the RFU and it’s not for me to give them answers.”

If England make it through to the quarter-final, Jones’ Australia could be the opponents.

But the 63-year-old does not fear a reunion.

“I’m only worried about them if we play them in the quarter-final mode,” he said. “They’re a team that I coached for seven years, so I look back at them with affection. I like the players. I’d like to see them do well, but obviously not do well against us.

“I wouldn’t feel any affection for England at that time. I can tell you.”

Asked if he was sad about his departure nine months ago, he replied: “No, not at all. I’ve had a fantastic run. Seven years for an Australian coaching England.

“It’ll never be done again. Maybe there’ll never be a non-English man coaching England again.

“And at the end of the day there’s nothing to argue about, nothing to be disappointed about. Move on, get on with your next job and you look back at your previous team with affection, which I still do with England.”

Ollie Chessum knew from the reaction of his England’s team-mates that he had done some serious damage as his World Cup dream flashed before his eyes.

Chessum faced a battle to be fit for the tournament hosted by France when a “freak training accident” during the final week of the Six Nations left him needing surgery to repair a dislocated ankle.

It was a savage end to his season but England’s breakout star of the Championship had already done enough to convince boss Steve Borthwick that he should be given every chance to prove his fitness for the World Cup.

Now two matches into his comeback, the Leicester Tiger is set to join Maro Itoje in the second row for the crucial Pool D opener against Argentina on September 9.

“I got a tackle from behind and I got my foot caught. It was just a freak training accident,” Chessum said.

“Initially I just thought I’d rolled it, but as I rolled over and the lads were around me, I saw them all turn away and that’s when I knew I should probably have a quick look – and my foot wasn’t where it was supposed to be.

“When I first did the injury one of the first things I said to Freddie Steward was ‘that could be my World Cup’, and he said ‘don’t think like that’. I was quite emotional at the time.

“There have been days in the last five months where I’ve thought it doesn’t feel great, but getting back was always the goal.

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“We knew it was going to be close. I spoke to the surgeons and they said it would be four to six months and with no setbacks, that would be a semi-realistic goal.

“But then I had conversations with some of the physios and they said that they’ve had lads who have had similar injuries that have taken seven to nine months.

“I just cracked on with it. If it happened, it happened. And if it didn’t, it didn’t.

“It’s still not 100 per cent now. There is enough there that I can do what I need to and I can play rugby, but the likelihood is that for the next year or two I will need to look after it.”

Kyle Sinckler was inspired to play for England by the 2003 World Cup final – despite being forced to miss Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal in order to study maths.

Sinckler was 10 years old when he watched on television as Martin Johnson’s side were held 14-14 by Australia at the end of 80 minutes, ushering in a period of extra time that was ultimately settled by Wilkinson’s boot.

But the enthralled Sinckler never got to see the greatest moment in English rugby history as his mum Donna had ordered him to study.

“Watching 2003 was a massive motivator for me. I remember when the final was on, I had a maths tutor,” the Bristol prop said.

“Obviously it went to extra time and then my mum – honestly I don’t know, she’s so ruthless that woman sometimes – she literally turned the TV off and took me to my maths tutor.

“So I had to do my maths lesson and I found out afterwards that we’d won! Honestly, it was full-time and she said ‘you’re going to your maths tutor’. I said: ‘You’re joking!’

“But she was adamant: ‘Nope. I’m paying my money. I’m working hard to pay for your maths tutor so you’re going.’

“I was like: ‘You are so evil, ridiculous!’ Don’t even start with that woman! Nuts. Nuts!

“Before that I was literally glued to the TV, it was so inspiring for me watching that. It gave me, I guess, the hope that I wanted to emulate that one day.”

England are desperately short of form for their latest attempt to claim a second world title having lost five of their last six Tests.

They open France 2023 with a tricky clash against Argentina, who sit two places higher in the global rankings in sixth.

“It’s the real deal straight away. Every Test match you play it’s tough. I’ve never had an easy Test match in my life,” said Sinckler, who is expected to overcome a chest injury in time to face the Pumas.

“It pushes you to the limit and that’s why it’s called a Test – it does test you. But if you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

Conor Murray acknowledges Ireland’s record-breaking winning run and impressive achievements under Andy Farrell will count for very little at the Rugby World Cup.

Ireland travel to France as Six Nations Grand Slam champions and having topped the world rankings for more than a year on the back of their historic tour triumph in New Zealand.

Farrell’s men made it 13 consecutive victories with Saturday evening’s 17-13 success over Samoa in Bayonne – bettering the 12-game winning streak enjoyed under Joe Schmidt across 2017 and 2018.

Defeat in the first Test against the All Blacks in July 2022 was Ireland’s last loss and just one of two suffered in their previous 27 outings.

Scrum-half Murray is preparing for his fourth World Cup and knows the tournament is a “different animal”.

“We’re in a pretty good place, given where we have been over the last two years and what we have achieved,” he said.

“We never get carried away with ourselves. We know going into every game that we have to respect the opposition.

“It (form) going into a World Cup doesn’t count for much. You have to bring your best rugby when you get to the tournament, when the competition kicks off for real.

“But we know how good the team can be. We also know how hard we have to work to get to that level and be there every week.

“The summer series was good and people got hit outs and we feel match fit now, but it’s a different animal by the time the World Cup comes around.

“We know where we can go as a group, the confidence is really high.”

Murray claimed a crucial try as Ireland stuttered past Samoa on a soggy evening in south-west France, with the vast majority of a vocal sold-out crowd supporting their opponents.

The 34-year-old believes the experience will be beneficial moving forward, with hosts France a potential quarter-final opponent, if Ireland successfully negotiate a group containing reigning world champions South Africa, Scotland, Tonga and Romania.

“Along that road we’re going to have games when things don’t go perfectly and we have to find a way,” he said.

“The World Cup could be like that and probably will be like that, it won’t go perfectly.

“There’s going to be nights like this (Samoa), the atmosphere was really hostile, in a good way, but we’re going to have to deal with that kind of thing as well.

“We know how much pressure there’s going to be, how the atmospheres are going to be.”

Ireland received a timely reminder of the dangers of South Africa after their Pool B rivals emphatically dispatched New Zealand 35-7 on Friday evening.

Murray previously worked with Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber and his assistant Felix Jones at Munster.

“We know what they’re like,” he said of South Africa.

“You could say New Zealand were poor but I thought South Africa put them under so much pressure it made them make mistakes.

“A lot of us have been coached by Jacques and Felix and we know what’s coming. Well, we think we know what’s coming, Jacques is always going to pull something out of nothing and something you didn’t expect.

“We’ve been watching South Africa and everyone else for a long time. I’m sure they will feel really good about where they’re at because that was a really good New Zealand side and they made them look not so good.”