Rugby World Cup 2023: Five players to watch - world's best player, deadly winger, most feared centre in game. By Duncan Bech. Comment. Published 4th Sep 2023, 21:29 BST.

There was a time when New Zealand were the most feared team anywhere in sport, never mind rugby. Before 2016, Ireland's record against the all-conquering All Blacks was dismal.

The 10th edition of the Rugby World Cup gets underway on Friday as host France faces New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris. As curtain-raising games go, this is about as big as it gets ...

They became the most penalised team in world rugby’s top tier, with an average of 13.6 penalties per game; up from the 10-11 per game range of the last decade.

They were a world class team." ... Habana is tied with Lomu for the most tries at Rugby World Cups, both level on 15. Dawson: "The South Africa 2007 team over their squad in 2019 - 100%." ...

But most of the time it is overshadowed by the behemoth that is soccer. So once every four years, when the two-month-long Rugby World Cup gets underway, it’s a rare chance for rugby to bask in ...