France and New Zealand will open the much-anticipated opening match today at the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis at about 7:15pm.
In the 1999 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand was the overwhelming favourite, however, New Zealand vs. France World Cup games over the years have been unpredictable, thrilling, and – depending on who you support – devastating.
Everything went according to plan as Taine Randell’s team easily defeated the English and scored 100 points against Italy in their pool matches. By the time they got to the infamous semi-final, winger Jonah Lomu, the biggest thing in rugby, had already scored six tries.
On October 31, 1999, at Twickenham Stadium, after France’s victory over New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semifinal, current French coach and former scrum-half Fabien Galthié celebrates.
Lomu scored twice more in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to halt the French assault. 43 to 31 in favor of France. The “Twickenham miracle,” as it is known in French, is only one of many twists in what Borthwick calls the “greatest rivalry in World Cup history.”
South Africa is typically regarded as the team’s greatest adversary because they have faced the All Blacks far more frequently.
