Rugby World Cup LIVE: Hosts France face New Zealand in blockbuster opening game

France poach a lineout and from it give Moefana a first carry. He runs hard but is smothered. On the second phase, there's a knock-on at the breakdown so it's a scrum to New Zealand.

After a re-set, France retain possession from their first scrum, but Smith is all over Dupont when the ball comes out.

Cane is out with injury, remember.

France win a penalty at the breakdown almost direct from the kick-off. It's just left of centre, on the 22, and Ramos converts to cut the lead.

What a start for New Zealand! They take the penalty quickly, and with France not set B. Barrett spots space on the left and kicks for Telea, who collects on the bounce without a French player near enough to contest and touches down.

The conversion is missed.

New Zealand win the lineout, Ioane makes a big break on the first phase and they win a penalty alarmingly near the French try line.

New Zealand get the game started and Ramos promptly kicks into touch.

There are no theatrics from France during the Haka. Smith leads it and even the crowd largely keep quiet, but there's a huge roar of anticipation when the Haka is finished.

The players are out and so too is a choir to sing the national anthems. New Zealand's is performed very nicely, La Marseillaise is a bit all over the place because the crowd and choir are not on the same page.

While we wait, a reminder that in 2023-24, TNT Sports will bring you every match from the Investec Champions Cup, as well as a selection of matches from the Gallagher Premiership Rugby, EPCR Challenge Cup and Premiership Rugby Cup.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

Officially we should start in six minutes, but the players are only just emerging from their changing rooms. That kick-off time seems very ambitious, given anthems and the Haka are still to come.

France and New Zealand have played seven times before in the Rugby World Cup, and just once in the pool stage. The All Blacks have five wins to France's two.

Ex-Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg thinks France are going to win the Rugby World Cup on home soil.

"This France is a team I’m hugely excited about," be told TNT Sports pundit Ugo Monye. "They’ve got the best talent in world rugby and if they get it right, they’ll go far."

Hogg went on to add: "I think we probably won’t see the best of them leading up to it, but in the quarter-finals and semi-finals [you will], and they’ll save the best until last [for the final]."

For more from Hogg, including who he predicts France will beat in the final, click the link below and read the full article.

The host nation has won the men's Rugby World Cup thrice, most recently when New Zealand did so in 2011.

If France can make that number four, it will be Les Bleus' maiden world title.

Scott Barrett was sent off a fortnight ago as New Zealand suffered their heaviest-ever defeat, 7-35, against South Africa. But he escaped a ban and plays tonight as one the locks. Brother Beauden starts at 15 but other brother Jordie is injured. So too is Cane, as just mentioned.

Anton Lienert-Brown is drafted in to play inside centre, next to Rieko Ioane. Ten of the 15 who started that smashing at the hands of the Springboks keep their places.

New Zealand: B. Barrett, Jordan, Ioane, Lienert-Brown, Telea, Mo'unga, Smith; De Groot, Taylor, Laulala, S. Barrett, Whitelock, Vaa'i, Papalii, Savea.

Subs: Taukei'aho, Tu'ungafasi, Newell, Retallick, Jacobson, Christie, Havili, Fainga'anuku.

But first, reckon you know who's going to win the Rugby World Cup? Pick your winners and challenge friends with our predictor game - just follow the link below and happy soothsaying!

A late change to the New Zealand team! Captain Sam Cane is injured and will not play. Tupou Vaa'i replaces him. Full team news to follow.

Yoram Moefana is France's inside centre in the absence of the injured Jonathan Danty. The graceful and experienced Gael Fikou starts outside Moefana.

Matthieu Jalibert is the fly-half, although there was little doubt he would get the nod with Romain Ntamack having been ruled out of the tournament a while ago. Antoine Dupont, the reigning and three-time Six Nations player of the tournament, is of course at scrum-half and the captain.

France: Ramos, Penaud, Fickou, Moefana, Villiere, Jalibert, Dupont; Wardi, Marchand, Atonio, Woki, Flament, Cros, Ollivon, Alldritt.

Subs: Mauvaka, Gros, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Boudehent, Lucu, Vincent, Jaminet.

New Zealand coach Ian Foster claimed before this opening match that he's "never seen a build-up for a game like this one". It now includes heavy boos for Macron during a welcoming speech.

Foster went on to add that at a World Cup, "you've got to do something special and you've got to play well. And there's been a lot of good All Black teams that haven't been able to achieve that and so we kind of represent them in many ways because we've learned some lessons out of that."

You can hear more from Foster my watching the video below.

Bill Beaumont, the chair of World Rugby, is currently speaking on the pitch at the Stade de France. After starting in French, he was switched to English, and is now being drowned out by the France supporters.

A giant Eifel Tower is also on the grass, so too French President Emmanuel Macron.

TNT Sports will bring you every match from European rugby's premier competition - the Investec Champions Cup - during the 2023-24 season.

There is a new format, with 24 teams from England, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and South Africa placed into four pools of six teams. All 12 games from each round will be available to watch live on TNT Sports, which will also show every game from the knockout rounds, culminating in May's final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.