Rugby World Cup preview: Let the games begin

The wait is almost over and the tenth Rugby World Cup kicks off this evening with the blockbuster clash of France and New Zealand.

It's only been four years since South Africa lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan but, in a cycle that included a global pandemic, it seems a lifetime ago.

Giddy anticipation as the tournament nears may lend itself to exaggeration but there is a general feeling that this renewal will top anything that has gone before.

So many intriguing narratives abound.

Can hosts France, three-time beaten finalists, deal with the pressure and fulfil their destiny? They are a team built to win the World Cup.

What say New Zealand? The three-time winners are not the force of old but they don’t travel to make up numbers.

The champion Springboks are considered in better nick than when they beat England four years ago in Yokohama. Only a fool would write them off.

Considered better prepared and in a run of form never matched, can Ireland break that lowest of glass ceilings and make it out of a quarter-final? Could they win the damned thing?

Add into the mix a lopsided draw – made in 2020 to give World Rugby a head start in planning, ticketing and promotion as it comes up against the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – that hardly appears fair with five of the top ranked nations on one side.

Huge jeopardy lies within some of the group games, specifically Ireland’s Pool B, while Fiji will fancy their chance in Pool C, where Wales and Australia have spluttered into France.

England look rudderless and down in spirit, and Argentina – always extra hyped for the World Cup - will smell blood.

Will we see card chaos? Bar Ireland, the rest of the contenders appear to pay little attention to World Rugby’s latest clampdown on dangerous play. It’s