Rugby-World Cup 2023 final

The 2023 Rugby World Cup final takes place on Oct. 28 at 1900 GMT at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis in France. On Friday, New Zealand became the first finalist after beating Argentina.

NEW ZEALAND

The All Blacks will aim for their fourth World Cup title after a 44-6 victory over Argentina on Friday, and a 28-24 success over Ireland in the quarter-finals.

In the group phase, the All Blacks bounced back from defeat by France in the first match, with bonus-point wins over Namibia, Italy and Uruguay.

New Zealand will play their fifth World Cup Final against the winners of the second semi-final to be played on Saturday between England and South Africa. Argentina will face the losers in the bronze final on Oct. 27 at 1900 GMT.

Team performance:

France 27-13 New Zealand

New Zealand 71-3 Namibia

New Zealand 96-17 Italy

New Zealand 73-0 Uruguay

Ireland 24-28 New Zealand

Argentina 6-44 New Zealand

The New Zealander Squad:

** Backs: Richie Mo'unga, Beauden Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie, Finlay Christie, Aaron Smith, Cam Roigard, David Havili, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Mark Telea.

** Forwards: Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Dane Coles, Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Dalton Papali'i, Luke Jacobson, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane (c), Samuel Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa'i, Tyrel Lomax, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Ethan de Groot, Fletcher Newell, Tamaiti Williams.

** Head Coach: Ian Foster.

    William Hill odds to win tournament 2.2/1

PAST FINALS AND LOCATION

** 2019: South Africa 32-12 England, in Yokohama (Japan)

** 2015: New Zealand 34-17 Australia, in London (England)

** 2011: New Zealand 8-7 France, in Auckland (New Zealand)

** 2007: South Africa 15-6 England, in Saint-Denis (France)

** 2003: England 20-17 Australia (extra time), in Sydney (Australia)

** 1999: Australia 35-12 France, in Cardiff (Wales)

** 1995: South Africa 15-12 New Zealand (extra time), in Johannesburg (South Africa)

** 1991: Australia 12-6 England, in London (England), 1991

** 1987: New Zealand 29-9 France, in Auckland (New Zealand)

WHAT HAPPENS IN CASE OF A DRAW?

EXTRA TIME

In case of a draw at the end of 80 minutes, two periods of extra time of 10 minutes each will be played.

GOLDEN POINT EXTRA TIME

If the scores are still level after extra time a further 10 minutes of golden-point extra time will be played. The first team to score points win the game.

KICKING COMPETITION

If scores are still tied after golden-point extra time, a kicking competition will be played. Five players from each team will kick from three different positions with the team converting most kicks winning. If that fails to separate the teams, the kicking competition will continue in a sudden-death format until a winner is decided.

The three kicking positions, all on the 22 metre line, are as follows:

Position 1: directly in front of the posts;

Position 2: on the 15 metre line on the left-hand side of the posts;

Position 3: on the 15 metre line on the right-hand side of the posts.

RUGBY UNION WORLD CUP AUSTRALIA 2027: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

The next Rugby World Cup will be held in Australia in 2027.

Twelve venues have been selected to host games:

** Sydney: Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Western Sydney Stadium)

** Melbourne: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Docklands Stadium

** Perth: Perth Stadium

** Canberra: Canberra Stadium

** Brisbane: Lang Park

** Adelaide: Adelaide Oval

** Newcastle: Newcastle International Sports Centre

** Gold Coast: Robina Stadium

** Townsville: North Queensland Stadium

From 2027 the contest will expand to 24 teams from the current 20 squads. The top three finishers in each pool of the 2023 tournament are automatically qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while the remaining slots will be allocated on a regional basis.

Due to the ongoing war with Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are currently banned from World Rugby events until further notice. REUTERS