Watch the Rugby World Cup in France

It’s the 200th anniversary year of rugby and the World Cup in France this autumn is all set to be a spectacular celebration. And with very good reason, as the Rugby World Cup is widely reckoned to be the third largest sporting event and one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

With 49 matches staged in the nine host cities, from the kick-off match on 8 September to the grand final of the tournament on 28 October, and more than two and a half million rugby fans due to attend, all over France the level of excitement is already running high. 

France’s own national team is a strong contender. They’ve already been runner-up three times and are currently ranked second in the world, so they will be pulling out all the stops to claim the biggest prize in rugby, the Webb Ellis Trophy in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Indeed, the organisers claim that three quarters of the entire French population are expected to watch the games or to follow the tournament on social media. They’ll be joined by more than 600,000 visiting fans from at least 19 other countries all around the world who are coming to see the action, cheer on their teams and enjoy the celebrations.  

The matches will be staged in spectacular surroundings. Each stadium holds about 50,000 people and tickets to all the games are very likely to sell out completely. All of the nine host cities – Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, St-Etienne, Toulouse and of course Paris – will be creating a special Rugby Village in the city centre where up to 40,000 local and visiting fans can watch and celebrate together in a carnival atmosphere with live music, food and drink, rugby activities, cultural events, children’s zones and more.   

The opening match on 8 September will be a great one to watch, with a very strong French squad taking on New Zealand’s mighty All Blacks – respectively the second and third-ranked teams in the world – at the spiritual home of French Rugby, the Stade de France, which is just outside Paris in St-Denis. It’s hard to imagine a more exciting start to a Rugby World Cup.  

That same weekend there are first round matches in Bordeaux, Marseille, St-Etienne, Toulouse and St-Denis. England vs Argentina on Saturday 9 September in Marseille will be an especially hard-fought match due to the fierce historic rivalry between these two countries whose teams are closely matched, currently ranked sixth and seventh in the world. There’s a lot at stake for Ireland, currently at the very top of the world rankings, whose opening match against Romania is on Saturday 9th in Bordeaux.  

Chile make their first-ever appearance in a Rugby World Cup on Sunday 10 September, playing against Japan in Toulouse. South Africa vs Scotland in Marseille is another clash of titans. The Springboks have won the World Cup three times before, equaling New Zealand’s record, and are currently ranked fourth. The Scottish team is also a strong one this year, ranked fifth in the world. Wales vs Fiji that same day in Bordeaux is also expected to be a fiercely competitive game between teams from two nations with especially strong traditions of rugby – and extremely passionate fans.  

The northern city of Lille hosts its first match on Thursday 14 September with France playing Uruguay at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, while the action in Nice kicks off on Saturday 16th with Wales vs Portugal, and Ireland are up against Tonga at Nantes in Brittany on the same day.  

The first round of the tournament continues until Sunday 8 October and the matches that are tipped to be highlights include South Africa vs Ireland on Saturday 23 September at the Stade de France in St-Denis, the closely matched clash of Wales vs Australia on Sunday 24th in Lyon, and Ireland vs Scotland at St-Denis on the following Saturday 7 October. That said, all the 40 first round matches will be spectacular events and almost any of them could deliver the unpredictable thrill of a major upset where a high-ranking team gets soundly beaten by an underdog. It has happened many times before.  

France is of course home to the world hub of yachting, as well as being one of the great rugby nations. Two of the key stadiums in the Rugby World Cup – the Stade de Marseille and the Stade de Nice – are right on the French Riviera. They’re ideally located for rugby fans who want to combine visits to key matches in the tournament, plus a couple of days enjoying the buzz, activities and parties in the Rugby Villages of Nice and Marseille.

Enjoy a relaxing yacht charter holiday, sailing from one end of the Riviera to the other and stopping at lovely anchorages en route, exploring world-class destinations like Monaco, Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez and more. September, when the first round Rugby World Cup matches are staged, happens to be one of the best months to cruise the Riviera. It’s less hectic than the height of summer but the resort towns are still vibrant, the water’s warm and the weather is sunny with a nice cool breeze.  

Alternatively, for an adventurous yacht charter holiday on the Atlantic coast of France, we can help you plan a cruise that includes the Rugby World Cup host cities of Bordeaux and Nantes. This could include trips to matches in other cities, like Paris perhaps, or Toulouse, along with tastings at the world-famous wineries of the Bordeaux region and the top producers of Cognac – or Armagnac, if you prefer.

Nantes, meanwhile, is the southern gateway to France’s other great cruising ground, the rugged and beautiful Brittany coast. Here you’ll discover wild Atlantic islands and craggy pink granite coves, unique Celtic culture, glorious beaches, clifftop castles, glorious beaches and more. It’s a lot like the west coast of Ireland but with far better food and warmer weather.  

Whatever type of trip takes your fancy, we can deliver a perfectly tailored holiday 

With rugby becoming more popular then ever and the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, if you'd like to watch some of the matches as part of your chrater. Contact us today to talk to a broker about adding the rugby to your itinerary.