# 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool A

Pool A of the 2023 Rugby World Cup began on 8 September 2023 and concluded on 6 October 2023. The pool included hosts France and previous three-time champions New Zealand, along with Italy, Uruguay and Namibia. Hosts France and New Zealand, whom France had defeated in the opening match, qualified from the pool.

## Teams

| Pos. | Team | Band | Confederation | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Apps. | Last | Previous best performance | World Rugby Rankings | World Rugby Rankings |
| Pos. | Team | Band | Confederation | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Apps. | Last | Previous best performance | 1 January 2020 | 4 September 2023 |
| A1 | New Zealand | 1 | Oceania | Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 6 October 2019 | 10th | 2019 | Winners (1987, 2011, 2015) | 2 | 4 |
| A2 | France | 2 | Europe | Hosts | 15 November 2017 | 10th | 2019 | Runners-up (1987, 1999, 2011) | 7 | 3 |
| A3 | Italy | 3 | Europe | Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool | 8 October 2019 | 10th | 2019 | Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 12 | 13 |
| A4 | Uruguay | 4 | South America | Americas 1 | 9 October 2021 | 5th | 2019 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2015, 2019 | 18 | 17 |
| A5 | Namibia | 5 | Africa | Africa 1 | 10 July 2022 | 7th | 2019 | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) | 23 | 21 |
Notes
* ↑ The rankings of 1 January 2020 were used for seeding for the final draw.
* 1 2 As the identity of the Americas 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 4.
* 1 2 As the identity of the Africa 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 5.

## Overview

The opening match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup was played between hosts France and three-time champions New Zealand. France won 27–13, courtesy of tries from Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet. Mark Tele'a scored the first try of the tournament for New Zealand after less than two minutes, making it the quickest try in an opening match of a Rugby World Cup. The loss was New Zealand's first ever in the pool stages of a Rugby World Cup. The next day, Italy won their opening match against Namibia by a score of 52–8. On 14 September, Uruguay played their first match of the tournament against hosts France, which France came out victorious with a scoreline of 27–12. The next day, New Zealand bounced back from their opening day defeat against France with 11 tries over Namibia in a 71–3 victory, despite losing Ethan de Groot to a red card for a dangerous collision. Five days later, Italy recorded a 38–17 bonus point victory over Uruguay, following a second-half comeback which previously saw them trail 17–7. The next day, France recorded their largest ever victory in a 96–0 victory over Namibia to move them on the brink of qualification to the knockout stage, while officially eliminating Namibia from the tournament. Thirteen tries were scored by France, who lost captain and key player Antoine Dupont to an injury from the match.
Namibia played their final match of the tournament against Uruguay in Décines-Charpieu. Namibia went ahead with two early tries from Gerswin Mouton and J. C. Greyling, along with successful penalties and conversions from Tiaan Swanepoel. However, Uruguay turned it around in the second half with tries from Baltazar Amaya, Santiago Arata and Bautista Basso to earn the Uruguayans their first victory of the tournament in a 36–26 victory and deny Namibia their first ever victory in a Rugby World Cup. Two days later, New Zealand faced Italy knowing that a defeat would mean that they would be eliminated from the World Cup at the pool stage for the first time ever. However, the All Blacks came out comfortable winners in the end as they starred in a fourteen-try show in Décines-Charpieu to move to the brink of qualification to the quarter-finals. Aaron Smith scored a hat-trick of tries after just 34 minutes in the bonus-point victory.
In the final matchweek of the pool, New Zealand and Uruguay faced off in Décines-Charpieu for their final matches to try and push for a place in the knockout stage. The All Blacks ran out comfortable winners, inspired by Damian McKenzie who scored two tries and kicked two conversions, in a 73–0 victory that officially saw them qualify for the quarter-finals while officially eliminating Uruguay from the tournament. All that remained in Pool A was the final match between hosts France and Italy to officially decide who would join New Zealand in the knockout stage. Both sides were assured to finish in the top three, meaning they were both assured a place in the 2027 Rugby World Cup, along with the All Blacks. The final match of Pool A took place the following day, with France sweeping aside Italy with a 60–7 scoreline in Décines-Charpieu with eight tries in a match to ensure that France qualified as they topped Group A, New Zealand qualified in second and Italy suffered elimination from the tournament as they finished third, but qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

## Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | France (H) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 210 | 32 | +178 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 18 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 253 | 47 | +206 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 15 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 3 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 181 | −67 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 10 | Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 164 | −99 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Namibia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 255 | −218 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 0 | |

## Matches
### France vs New Zealand

* 8 September 2023 21:15 CEST (UTC+2)
| France | 27–13 | New Zealand |
| Try: Penaud 55' c Jaminet 78' m Con: Ramos (1/1) 57' Pen: Ramos (5/7) 5', 20', 29', 65', 74' | Report | Try: Tele'a (2) 2' m, 43' m Pen: Mo'unga (1/1) 25' |
* Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,680 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
| France | New Zealand |
| FB | 15 | Thomas Ramos | 76' |
| RW | 14 | Damian Penaud |
| OC | 13 | Gaël Fickou |
| IC | 12 | Yoram Moefana | 58' |
| LW | 11 | Gabin Villière |
| FH | 10 | Matthieu Jalibert |
| SH | 9 | Antoine Dupont (c) | 76' |
| N8 | 8 | Grégory Alldritt |
| OF | 7 | Charles Ollivon |
| BF | 6 | François Cros | 63' |
| RL | 5 | Thibaud Flament |
| LL | 4 | Cameron Woki | 49' |
| TP | 3 | Uini Atonio | 53' |
| HK | 2 | Julien Marchand | 12' |
| LP | 1 | Reda Wardi | 53' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Peato Mauvaka | 12' |
| PR | 17 | Jean-Baptiste Gros | 53' |
| PR | 18 | Dorian Aldegheri | 53' |
| LK | 19 | Romain Taofifénua | 49' |
| FL | 20 | Paul Boudehent | 63' |
| SH | 21 | Maxime Lucu | 76' |
| CE | 22 | Arthur Vincent | 58' |
| FB | 23 | Melvyn Jaminet | 76' |
| Coach: ||
| Fabien Galthié ||
| FB | 15 | Beauden Barrett |
| RW | 14 | Will Jordan | 58' |
| OC | 13 | Rieko Ioane |
| IC | 12 | Anton Lienert-Brown | | 63' |
| LW | 11 | Mark Tele'a | | 71' |
| FH | 10 | Richie Mo'unga |
| SH | 9 | Aaron Smith | | 63' |
| N8 | 8 | Ardie Savea (c) |
| OF | 7 | Dalton Papalii |
| BF | 6 | Tupou Vaa'i | | 58' |
| RL | 5 | Scott Barrett |
| LL | 4 | Sam Whitelock | | 69' |
| TP | 3 | Nepo Laulala | | 53' |
| HK | 2 | Codie Taylor | | 63' |
| LP | 1 | Ethan de Groot | | 53' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Samisoni Taukei'aho | | 63' |
| PR | 17 | Ofa Tuʻungafasi | | 53' |
| PR | 18 | Fletcher Newell | | 53' |
| LK | 19 | Brodie Retallick | | 69' |
| FL | 20 | Luke Jacobson | | 58' |
| SH | 21 | Finlay Christie | | 63' |
| CE | 22 | David Havili | | 63' |
| WG | 23 | Leicester Fainga'anuku | | 71' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian Foster ||
* Player of the Match:
* Grégory Alldritt (France)
* Assistant referees:
* Karl Dickson (England)
* Christophe Ridley (England)
* Television match official:
* Tom Foley (England)
Notes:
* Antoine Dupont (France) and Nepo Laulala (New Zealand) earned their 50th test caps.
* Sam Cane was originally named in the New Zealand starting XV as captain, but withdrew prior to the match after sustaining an injury in the team's final training session. He was replaced by Tupou Vaa'i, whose place on the bench was taken by Brodie Retallick, while the captaincy was handed over to Ardie Savea.
* This was New Zealand's first defeat in a Rugby World Cup pool stage fixture, and their heaviest defeat in a World Cup match.
* Mark Tele'a (New Zealand) scored the fastest try in a Rugby World Cup opening match, at 91 seconds.

### Italy vs Namibia

* 9 September 2023 13:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) Italy | 52–8 | Namibia |
| Try: L. Cannone 11' c P. Garbisi 15' c Lamb 46' c Capuozzo 55' c Faiva 74' c Zuliani 78' c Odogwu 80+3' c Con: Allan (7/7) 12', 16', 48', 57', 75', 79', 80+4' Pen: Allan (1/1) 8' | Report | Try: Mouton 21' m Pen: Swanepoel (1/2) 4' |
* Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne Attendance: 35,515 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
| Italy | Namibia |
| FB | 15 | Tommaso Allan |
| RW | 14 | Ange Capuozzo |
| OC | 13 | Ignacio Brex | 62' |
| IC | 12 | Luca Morisi | 48' |
| LW | 11 | Monty Ioane |
| FH | 10 | Paolo Garbisi |
| SH | 9 | Stephen Varney | 48' |
| N8 | 8 | Lorenzo Cannone |
| OF | 7 | Michele Lamaro (c) |
| BF | 6 | Sebastian Negri | 48' |
| RL | 5 | Federico Ruzza | 12' to 16' | 12' to 16' |
| LL | 4 | Dino Lamb | | | 57' |
| TP | 3 | Simone Ferrari | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Giacomo Nicotera | 50' |
| LP | 1 | Danilo Fischetti | 57' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Hame Faiva | 50' |
| PR | 17 | Ivan Nemer | 57' |
| PR | 18 | Marco Riccioni | 50' |
| LK | 19 | Dave Sisi | 12' | 16' | 57' |
| FL | 20 | Manuel Zuliani | 48' |
| SH | 21 | Martin Page-Relo | 48' |
| CE | 22 | Paolo Odogwu | 62' |
| WG | 23 | Pierre Bruno | 48' |
| Coach: ||
| Kieran Crowley ||
| FB | 15 | Divan Rossouw |
| RW | 14 | Gerswin Mouton | | 62' |
| OC | 13 | Johan Deysel (c) |
| IC | 12 | Danco Burger | | 57' |
| LW | 11 | J. C. Greyling |
| FH | 10 | Tiaan Swanepoel |
| SH | 9 | Damian Stevens | | 57' |
| N8 | 8 | Richard Hardwick |
| OF | 7 | Johan Retief |
| BF | 6 | Wian Conradie | | 12' to 16' | 12' to 16' | 18' | 21' | 62' |
| RL | 5 | Tjiuee Uanivi |
| LL | 4 | Adriaan Ludick | | 48' |
| TP | 3 | Aranos Coetzee | | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Torsten van Jaarsveld | 11' | | | | | 52' |
| LP | 1 | Des Sethie | | 36' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Louis van der Westhuizen | | | | 18' | 21' | 52' |
| PR | 17 | Jason Benade | | 36' |
| PR | 18 | Casper Viviers | | 50' |
| LK | 19 | Tiaan de Klerk | | 48' |
| FL | 20 | Prince ǃGaoseb | | 12' | 16' | | | 62' |
| SH | 21 | Jacques Theron | | 57' |
| FH | 22 | André van den Berg | | 62' |
| CE | 23 | Le Roux Malan | | 57' |
| Coach: ||
| Allister Coetzee ||
* Player of the Match:
* Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)
* Assistant referees:
* Paul Williams (New Zealand)
* Chris Busby (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* Joy Neville (Ireland)
Notes:
* This was Italy's largest victory (by margin) at the World Cup, surpassing their previous best of 41 points over Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and also their largest victory over Namibia.

### France vs Uruguay

* 14 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| France | 27–12 | Uruguay |
| Try: Hastoy 10' c Mauvaka 55' c Bielle-Biarrey 74' c Con: Jaminet (3/3) 11', 56', 75' Pen: Jaminet (2/3) 3', 14' | Report | Try: Freitas 6' m Amaya 53' c Con: Etcheverry (1/2) 54' |
* Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 48,821 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
| France | Uruguay |
| FB | 15 | Melvyn Jaminet |
| RW | 14 | Louis Bielle-Biarrey |
| OC | 13 | Arthur Vincent |
| IC | 12 | Yoram Moefana |
| LW | 11 | Gabin Villière |
| FH | 10 | Antoine Hastoy |
| SH | 9 | Maxime Lucu | | 64' |
| N8 | 8 | Anthony Jelonch (c) | | 50' |
| OF | 7 | Sekou Macalou |
| BF | 6 | Paul Boudehent |
| RL | 5 | Romain Taofifénua | 27' | 50' |
| LL | 4 | Cameron Woki | | 58' |
| TP | 3 | Dorian Aldegheri | | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Pierre Bourgarit | | 50' |
| LP | 1 | Jean-Baptiste Gros | | 50' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Peato Mauvaka | | 50' |
| PR | 17 | Reda Wardi | | 50' |
| PR | 18 | Sipili Falatea | | 50' |
| LK | 19 | Bastien Chalureau | | 50' |
| LK | 20 | Thibaud Flament | | 58' |
| FL | 21 | François Cros | | 50' |
| SH | 22 | Baptiste Couilloud | | 64' |
| FB | 23 | Thomas Ramos |
| Coach: ||
| Fabien Galthié ||
| FB | 15 | Baltazar Amaya |
| RW | 14 | Bautista Basso |
| OC | 13 | Tomás Inciarte |
| IC | 12 | Andrés Vilaseca (c) |
| LW | 11 | Nicolás Freitas |
| FH | 10 | Felipe Etcheverry | 58' |
| SH | 9 | Santiago Arata | 58' |
| N8 | 8 | Manuel Diana | 54' |
| OF | 7 | Santiago Civetta |
| BF | 6 | Manuel Ardao | 54' |
| RL | 5 | Manuel Leindekar |
| LL | 4 | Felipe Aliaga | 58' |
| TP | 3 | Ignacio Péculo | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Guillermo Pujadas | 50' |
| LP | 1 | Mateo Sanguinetti | 50' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Facundo Gattas | 50' |
| PR | 17 | Matías Benítez | 50' |
| PR | 18 | Reinaldo Piussi | 50' |
| LK | 19 | Ignacio Dotti | 58' |
| FL | 20 | Lucas Bianchi | 54' |
| FL | 21 | Carlos Deus | 54' |
| SH | 22 | Agustín Ormaechea | 58' |
| FH | 23 | Felipe Berchesi | 58' |
| Coach: ||
| Esteban Meneses ||
* Player of the Match:
* Maxime Lucu (France)
* Assistant referees:
* Paul Williams (New Zealand)
* James Doleman (New Zealand)
* Television match official:
* Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Notes:
* This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at the Rugby World Cup.

### New Zealand vs Namibia

* 15 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 71–3 | Namibia |
| Try: Roigard (2) 2' c, 7' m McKenzie (2) 20' c, 39' c Fainga'anuku 25' m Lienert-Brown 35' c De Groot 49' m Papalii 55' c Havili 58' c Clarke 67' c Ioane 77' c Con: McKenzie (8/11) 3', 20', 36', 40', 55', 59', 68', 78' | Report | Pen: Swanepoel (1/1) 11' |
* Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 31,996 Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
| New Zealand | Namibia |
| FB | 15 | Beauden Barrett | | 59' |
| RW | 14 | Caleb Clarke |
| OC | 13 | Anton Lienert-Brown |
| IC | 12 | David Havili | | 68' |
| LW | 11 | Leicester Fainga'anuku |
| FH | 10 | Damian McKenzie |
| SH | 9 | Cam Roigard | | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Ardie Savea (c) | | 64' |
| OF | 7 | Dalton Papalii |
| BF | 6 | Luke Jacobson | | | 74' |
| RL | 5 | Sam Whitelock |
| LL | 4 | Brodie Retallick | | 58' |
| TP | 3 | Nepo Laulala | | 48' |
| HK | 2 | Samisoni Taukei'aho | | 52' |
| LP | 1 | Ofa Tuʻungafasi | | 48' | 74' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dane Coles | | 52' |
| PR | 17 | Ethan de Groot | 72' | 48' |
| PR | 18 | Fletcher Newell | | 48' |
| LK | 19 | Scott Barrett | | 58' |
| FL | 20 | Tupou Vaa'i | | 64' |
| SH | 21 | Aaron Smith | | 68' |
| FH | 22 | Richie Mo'unga | | 59' |
| CE | 23 | Rieko Ioane | | 68' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian Foster ||
| FB | 15 | Cliven Loubser |
| RW | 14 | Gerswin Mouton |
| OC | 13 | Johan Deysel (c) |
| IC | 12 | Le Roux Malan | 18' |
| LW | 11 | Divan Rossouw |
| FH | 10 | Tiaan Swanepoel |
| SH | 9 | Damian Stevens | 72' |
| N8 | 8 | Richard Hardwick | 59' |
| OF | 7 | Prince ǃGaoseb | 68' |
| BF | 6 | Wian Conradie | 50' |
| RL | 5 | Tjiuee Uanivi |
| LL | 4 | Johan Retief |
| TP | 3 | Aranos Coetzee | 74' |
| HK | 2 | Torsten van Jaarsveld | 50' |
| LP | 1 | Jason Benade | 50' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Louis van der Westhuizen | 50' |
| PR | 17 | Des Sethie | 50' |
| PR | 18 | Haitembu Shikufa | 74' |
| LK | 19 | P. J. van Lill | 50' |
| FL | 20 | Adriaan Booysen | 59' |
| FL | 21 | Max Katjijeko | 68' |
| SH | 22 | Jacques Theron | 72' |
| CE | 23 | J. C. Greyling | 18' |
| Coach: ||
| Allister Coetzee ||
* Player of the Match:
* Cam Roigard (New Zealand)
* Assistant referees:
* Andrew Brace (Ireland)
* Jordan Way (Australia)
* Television match official:
* Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Notes:
* This was the first ever match which New Zealand performed Kapa o Pango against a Tier 2 nation.
* Sam Whitelock equalled the New Zealand test cap record, with 148 caps, drawing level with Richie McCaw.

### Italy vs Uruguay

* 20 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) Italy | 38–17 | Uruguay |
| Try: Pani 7' c Lamaro 46' c Ioane 52' c L. Cannone 56' c Brex 61' c Con: Allan (5/5) 8', 47', 53', 57', 62' Pen: P. Garbisi (1/1) 70' | Report | Try: Penalty try 27' Freitas 37' c Con: Etcheverry (1/1) 38' Drop: Etcheverry (1/1) 42' |
* Allianz Riviera, Nice Attendance: 28,627 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
| Italy | Uruguay |
| FB | 15 | Ange Capuozzo |
| RW | 14 | Lorenzo Pani | | 30' | 37' |
| OC | 13 | Ignacio Brex |
| IC | 12 | Paolo Garbisi |
| LW | 11 | Monty Ioane |
| FH | 10 | Tommaso Allan | | 68' |
| SH | 9 | Alessandro Garbisi | | 60' |
| N8 | 8 | Lorenzo Cannone | 25' | 63' |
| OF | 7 | Michele Lamaro (c) |
| BF | 6 | Sebastian Negri | | 60' |
| RL | 5 | Federico Ruzza |
| LL | 4 | Niccolò Cannone | | 50' |
| TP | 3 | Marco Riccioni | | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Giacomo Nicotera | | 68' |
| LP | 1 | Danilo Fischetti | 27' | | | 68' |
| Replacements: ||
| PR | 16 | Federico Zani | | 68' |
| PR | 17 | Ivan Nemer | | 30' | 37' | 68' |
| PR | 18 | Pietro Ceccarelli | | 50' |
| LK | 19 | Dino Lamb | | 50' |
| FL | 20 | Manuel Zuliani | | 60' |
| SH | 21 | Giovanni Pettinelli | | 63' |
| CE | 22 | Alessandro Fusco | | 60' |
| WG | 23 | Paolo Odogwu | | 68' |
| Coach: ||
| Kieran Crowley ||
| FB | 15 | Baltazar Amaya | | 63' |
| RW | 14 | Gastón Mieres |
| OC | 13 | Tomás Inciarte |
| IC | 12 | Andrés Vilaseca (c) | 43' |
| LW | 11 | Nicolás Freitas | | 67' |
| FH | 10 | Felipe Etcheverry |
| SH | 9 | Santiago Arata | | 67' |
| N8 | 8 | Manuel Diana | | 57' |
| OF | 7 | Santiago Civetta |
| BF | 6 | Manuel Ardao |
| RL | 5 | Manuel Leindekar |
| LL | 4 | Felipe Aliaga | | 63' |
| TP | 3 | Ignacio Péculo | | 60' |
| HK | 2 | Germán Kessler | | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Mateo Sanguinetti | | 57' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Guillermo Pujadas | | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Facundo Gattas | | 57' |
| PR | 18 | Diego Arbelo | | 60' |
| LK | 19 | Ignacio Dotti | | 63' |
| FL | 20 | Carlos Deus | | 57' |
| SH | 21 | Agustín Ormaechea | | 67' |
| FH | 22 | Felipe Berchesi | | 63' |
| CE | 23 | Bautista Basso | | 67' |
| Coach: ||
| Esteban Meneses ||
* Player of the Match:
* Michele Lamaro (Italy)
* Assistant referees:
* Andrew Brace (Ireland)
* Jordan Way (Australia)
* Television match official:
* Tom Foley (England)
Notes:
* This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup.
* Sebastian Negri (Italy) earned his 50th test cap.
* Luca Bigi was originally named as the replacement hooker on the Italy bench, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. He was replaced by Ivan Nemer, who took the position of substitute loosehead prop, while Federico Zani shifted across to the role of hooker.

### France vs Namibia

* 21 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) France | 96–0 | Namibia |
| Try: Penaud (3) 6' m, 21' c, 55' c Danty (2) 9' c, 26' c Ollivon (2) 18' c, 68' c Flament 33' c Dupont 38' c Bielle-Biarrey (2) 40+1' c, 64' c Couilloud 47' c Jaminet 76' c Penalty try 80' Con: Ramos (12/13) 10', 18', 22', 27', 34', 39', 40+2', 48', 56', 65', 70', 77' | Report | |
* Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 63,486 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
| France | Namibia |
| FB | 15 | Thomas Ramos |
| RW | 14 | Damian Penaud |
| OC | 13 | Gaël Fickou |
| IC | 12 | Jonathan Danty |
| LW | 11 | Louis Bielle-Biarrey |
| FH | 10 | Matthieu Jalibert | 54' |
| SH | 9 | Antoine Dupont (c) | 46' |
| N8 | 8 | Anthony Jelonch | 54' |
| OF | 7 | Charles Ollivon |
| BF | 6 | François Cros |
| RL | 5 | Thibaud Flament |
| LL | 4 | Cameron Woki | 41' | 57' | 65' |
| TP | 3 | Uini Atonio | 41' |
| HK | 2 | Peato Mauvaka | 54' |
| LP | 1 | Cyril Baille | 41' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Pierre Bourgarit | 54' |
| PR | 17 | Reda Wardi | 41' |
| PR | 18 | Dorian Aldegheri | 41' |
| LK | 19 | Romain Taofifénua | 41' |
| FL | 20 | Paul Boudehent | 54' | 57' |
| SH | 21 | Baptiste Couilloud | 46' |
| CE | 22 | Yoram Moefana | | | 65' |
| FB | 23 | Melvyn Jaminet | 54' |
| Coach: ||
| Fabien Galthié ||
| FB | 15 | André van den Berg | | 41' |
| RW | 14 | Gerswin Mouton | | 56' |
| OC | 13 | Johan Deysel (c) | 45' |
| IC | 12 | Danco Burger |
| LW | 11 | J. C. Greyling |
| FH | 10 | Cliven Loubser |
| SH | 9 | Jacques Theron | | 59' |
| N8 | 8 | Prince ǃGaoseb | | 41' |
| OF | 7 | Johan Retief |
| BF | 6 | Max Katjijeko |
| RL | 5 | Adriaan Ludick |
| LL | 4 | Mahepisa Tjeriko | | 41' |
| TP | 3 | Aranos Coetzee | | 74' |
| HK | 2 | Louis van der Westhuizen | | 65' |
| LP | 1 | Des Sethie | | 51' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Obert Nortje | | 65' |
| PR | 17 | Jason Benade | 80' | 51' |
| PR | 18 | Haitembu Shifuka | | 74' |
| LK | 19 | P. J. van Lill | | 41' |
| FL | 20 | Richard Hardwick | | 41' |
| SH | 21 | Oela Blaauw | | 59' |
| CE | 22 | Alcino Izaacs | | 56' |
| WG | 23 | Divan Rossouw | | 41' |
| Coach: ||
| Allister Coetzee ||
* Player of the Match:
* Damian Penaud (France)
* Assistant referees:
* Andrew Brace (Ireland)
* Craig Evans (Wales)
* Television match official:
* Joy Neville (Ireland)
Notes:
* This was France's largest victory in test match history, and also their largest victory at the World Cup – surpassing their 87–10 win, also against Namibia, at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
* Oela Blaauw (Namibia) made his international debut.

### Uruguay vs Namibia

* 27 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) Uruguay | 36–26 | Namibia |
| Try: Amaya (2) 19' m, 49' c Kessler 28' c Arata 54' c Basso 66' c Con: Etcheverry (3/4) 29', 51', 55' Berchesi (1/1) 67' Pen: Berchesi (1/1) 74' | Report | Try: Mouton 1' c Greyling 11' c Con: Swanepoel (2/2) 2', 12' Pen: Swanepoel (4/4) 25', 35', 43', 69' |
* Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 49,342 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
| Uruguay | Namibia |
| FB | 15 | Baltazar Amaya |
| RW | 14 | Bautista Basso |
| OC | 13 | Felipe Arcos Pérez |
| IC | 12 | Andrés Vilaseca (c) |
| LW | 11 | Nicolás Freitas | | 60' |
| FH | 10 | Felipe Etcheverry | | 60' |
| SH | 9 | Santiago Arata | | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Carlos Deus |
| OF | 7 | Santiago Civetta | | 61' |
| BF | 6 | Manuel Ardao |
| RL | 5 | Manuel Leindekar |
| LL | 4 | Felipe Aliaga | | 69' |
| TP | 3 | Diego Arbelo | | 61' |
| HK | 2 | Germán Kessler | | 61' |
| LP | 1 | Mateo Sanguinetti | | 61' | 65' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Guillermo Pujadas | | 61' |
| PR | 17 | Facundo Gattas | | 61' | 65' |
| PR | 18 | Reinaldo Piussi | | 61' |
| LK | 19 | Juan Manuel Rodríguez | | 69' |
| FL | 20 | Eric Dosantos | 76' | 61' |
| SH | 21 | Agustín Ormaechea | | 68' |
| FH | 22 | Felipe Berchesi | | 60' |
| WG | 23 | Juan Manuel Alonso | | 60' |
| Coach: ||
| Esteban Meneses ||
| FB | 15 | Cliven Loubser |
| RW | 14 | Gerswin Mouton | | 72' |
| OC | 13 | Alcino Izaacs |
| IC | 12 | Danco Burger |
| LW | 11 | J. C. Greyling | | | 64' |
| FH | 10 | Tiaan Swanepoel |
| SH | 9 | Damian Stevens | | 74' |
| N8 | 8 | Richard Hardwick | | 60' |
| OF | 7 | Tjiuee Uanivi (c) | 61' |
| BF | 6 | Prince ǃGaoseb | | 48' | 57' |
| RL | 5 | Tiaan de Klerk | | 72' |
| LL | 4 | Adriaan Ludick | | 55' |
| TP | 3 | Aranos Coetzee | 48' |
| HK | 2 | Torsten van Jaarsveld | | 61' |
| LP | 1 | Jason Benade | | 57' | 64' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Louis van der Westhuizen | | 61' |
| PR | 17 | Desiderius Sethie | 63' | 57' |
| PR | 18 | Haitembu Shifuka | | 48' | 57' |
| LK | 19 | P. J. van Lill | | 55' |
| FL | 20 | Adriaan Booysen | | 60' |
| FL | 21 | Max Katjijeko | | 72' |
| SH | 22 | Jacques Theron | | 74' |
| FH | 23 | André van den Berg | | 72' |
| Coach: ||
| Allister Coetzee ||
* Player of the Match:
* Santiago Arata (Uruguay)
* Assistant referees:
* Nic Berry (Australia)
* Chris Busby (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Notes:
* This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup.
* Namibia achieved their highest points total in a World Cup match, surpassing the 25 points scored against Fiji in 2011.
* Uruguay achieved their highest points total in a World Cup march, surpassing the 30 points scored against Fiji in 2019.

### New Zealand vs Italy

* 29 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 96–17 | Italy |
| Try: Jordan (2) 7' c, 70' c Smith (3) 17' c, 27' c, 34' c Tele'a 19' c Savea (2) 22' c, 40+5' c Retallick 50' c Papalii 55' c Coles (2) 61' m, 73' c McKenzie 67' c Lienert-Brown 76' c Con: Mo'unga (9/10) 8', 18', 20, 23', 28', 35', 40+6', 51', 57' McKenzie (4/4) 69', 71', 74', 77' | Report | Try: Capuozzo 48' c Ioane 80+1' c Con: Allan (1/1) 49' P. Garbisi (1/1) 80+3' Pen: Allan (1/1) 10' |
* Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 57,083 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
| New Zealand | Italy |
| FB | 15 | Beauden Barrett |
| RW | 14 | Will Jordan |
| OC | 13 | Rieko Ioane |
| IC | 12 | Jordie Barrett | 64' |
| LW | 11 | Mark Tele'a |
| FH | 10 | Richie Mo'unga | 64' |
| SH | 9 | Aaron Smith | 49' |
| N8 | 8 | Ardie Savea (c) |
| OF | 7 | Dalton Papalii | 57' |
| BF | 6 | Shannon Frizell | 49' |
| RL | 5 | Scott Barrett |
| LL | 4 | Brodie Retallick |
| TP | 3 | Nepo Laulala | 49' |
| HK | 2 | Codie Taylor | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Ofa Tuʻungafasi | 49' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dane Coles | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Tamaiti Williams | 49' |
| PR | 18 | Tyrel Lomax | 49' |
| LK | 19 | Sam Whitelock | 49' |
| FL | 20 | Sam Cane | 57' |
| SH | 21 | Cam Roigard | 49' |
| FH | 22 | Damian McKenzie | 64' |
| CE | 23 | Anton Lienert-Brown | 64' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian Foster ||
| FB | 15 | Tommaso Allan | 60' |
| RW | 14 | Ange Capuozzo |
| OC | 13 | Ignacio Brex |
| IC | 12 | Luca Morisi |
| LW | 11 | Monty Ioane |
| FH | 10 | Paolo Garbisi |
| SH | 9 | Stephen Varney | 49' |
| N8 | 8 | Lorenzo Cannone |
| OF | 7 | Michele Lamaro (c) | 65' |
| BF | 6 | Sebastian Negri | 49' |
| RL | 5 | Federico Ruzza |
| LL | 4 | Dino Lamb | 41' |
| TP | 3 | Marco Riccioni | 45' to 56' | 45' to 56' | 65' |
| HK | 2 | Giacomo Nicotera | 49' |
| LP | 1 | Danilo Fischetti | 18' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Hame Faiva | 49' |
| PR | 17 | Ivan Nemer | 18' |
| PR | 18 | Simone Ferrari | 45' | 56' | 65' |
| LK | 19 | Niccolò Cannone | 41' |
| FL | 20 | Manuel Zuliani | 49' |
| N8 | 21 | Toa Halafihi | 65' |
| SH | 22 | Martin Page-Relo | 49' |
| WG | 23 | Paolo Odogwu | 60' |
| Coach: ||
| Kieran Crowley ||
* Player of the Match:
* Ardie Savea (New Zealand)
* Assistant referees:
* Nic Berry (Australia)
* Christophe Ridley (England)
* Television match official:
* Brett Cronan (Australia)
Notes:
* Sam Whitelock became the most capped New Zealand player in test history, with 149 appearances, and the second most capped test player overall, behind only Wales international Alun Wyn Jones.

### New Zealand vs Uruguay

* 5 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 73–0 | Uruguay |
| Try: McKenzie (2) 20' c, 53' c Mo'unga 25' c Jordan (2) 33' c, 65' c Roigard 38' m Newell 45' m Fainga'anuku (3) 49' c, 68' c, 77' c Williams 73' c Con: Mo'unga (5/7) 21', 26', 34', 50', 54' McKenzie (2/2) 66', 69' B. Barrett (2/2) 74', 78' | Report | |
* Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 57,672 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
| New Zealand | Uruguay |
| FB | 15 | Damian McKenzie |
| RW | 14 | Will Jordan |
| OC | 13 | Anton Lienert-Brown |
| IC | 12 | Jordie Barrett | 53' |
| LW | 11 | Leicester Fainga'anuku |
| FH | 10 | Richie Mo'unga | 63' |
| SH | 9 | Cam Roigard | 53' |
| N8 | 8 | Luke Jacobson |
| OF | 7 | Sam Cane (c) |
| BF | 6 | Shannon Frizell | 54' |
| RL | 5 | Tupou Vaa'i |
| LL | 4 | Sam Whitelock | 63' |
| TP | 3 | Tyrel Lomax | 9' |
| HK | 2 | Codie Taylor | 46' |
| LP | 1 | Ofa Tuʻungafasi | 46' | 74' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Samisoni Taukei'aho | 46' | 74' |
| PR | 17 | Tamaiti Williams | 46' |
| PR | 18 | Fletcher Newell | 9' |
| LK | 19 | Scott Barrett | 63' |
| FL | 20 | Ethan Blackadder | 54' |
| SH | 21 | Finlay Christie | 53' |
| FH | 22 | Beauden Barrett | 63' |
| WG | 23 | Caleb Clarke | 53' |
| Coach: ||
| Ian Foster ||
| FB | 15 | Rodrigo Silva |
| RW | 14 | Gastón Mieres | 58' |
| OC | 13 | Tomás Inciarte |
| IC | 12 | Andrés Vilaseca (c) |
| LW | 11 | Nicolás Freitas |
| FH | 10 | Felipe Etcheverry | 50' |
| SH | 9 | Santiago Arata | 60' |
| N8 | 8 | Manuel Diana | 55' |
| OF | 7 | Lucas Bianchi |
| BF | 6 | Manuel Ardao |
| RL | 5 | Manuel Leindekar |
| LL | 4 | Ignacio Dotti | 47' |
| TP | 3 | Diego Arbelo | 58' |
| HK | 2 | Germán Kessler | 63' |
| LP | 1 | Mateo Sanguinetti | 64' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Guillermo Pujadas | 63' |
| PR | 17 | Matías Benítez | 64' |
| PR | 18 | Ignacio Péculo | 58' |
| LK | 19 | Juan Manuel Rodríguez | 47' |
| FL | 20 | Santiago Civetta | 55' |
| SH | 21 | Agustín Ormaechea | 60' |
| FH | 22 | Felipe Berchesi | 50' |
| WG | 23 | Juan Manuel Alonso | 58' |
| Coach: ||
| Esteban Meneses ||
* Player of the Match:
* Damian McKenzie (New Zealand)
* Assistant referees:
* Matthew Carley (England)
* Jordan Way (Australia)
* Television match official:
* Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Notes:
* This was the first ever meeting between these two sides.
* Sam Whitelock (New Zealand) became only the second player in history to earn 150 test caps. He also became the most capped player at the World Cup, with 23 appearances across four tournaments, surpassing Jason Leonard and Richie McCaw.
* This was the fifth match at the 2023 World Cup where the losing team failed to score any points – a new record for a single tournament, surpassing 2007 and 2019.

### France vs Italy

* 6 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)
| (1 BP) France | 60–7 | Italy |
| Try: Penaud (2) 2' c, 38' c Bielle-Biarrey 13' c Ramos 22' c Jalibert 47' c Mauvaka 54' c Moefana (2) 64' c, 76' m Con: Ramos (6/6) 4', 14', 23', 39', 48', 55' Jaminet (1/2) 65' Pen: Ramos (1/2) 7' Jaminet (1/1) 80+1' | Report | Try: Zuliani 71' c Con: Allan (1/1) 72' |
* Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu Attendance: 58,102 Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
| France | Italy |
| FB | 15 | Thomas Ramos | 61' |
| RW | 14 | Damian Penaud |
| OC | 13 | Gaël Fickou | 61' |
| IC | 12 | Jonathan Danty |
| LW | 11 | Louis Bielle-Biarrey |
| FH | 10 | Matthieu Jalibert |
| SH | 9 | Maxime Lucu | 55' |
| N8 | 8 | Grégory Alldritt |
| OF | 7 | Charles Ollivon (c) | 55' |
| BF | 6 | Anthony Jelonch |
| RL | 5 | Thibaud Flament | 45' |
| LL | 4 | Cameron Woki |
| TP | 3 | Uini Atonio | 45' |
| HK | 2 | Peato Mauvaka | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Cyril Baille | 55' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Pierre Bourgarit | 55' |
| PR | 17 | Reda Wardi | 55' |
| PR | 18 | Dorian Aldegheri | 45' |
| LK | 19 | Romain Taofifénua | 45' |
| FL | 20 | François Cros | 55' |
| SH | 21 | Baptiste Couilloud | 55' |
| CE | 22 | Yoram Moefana | 61' |
| FB | 23 | Melvyn Jaminet | 61' |
| Coach: ||
| Fabien Galthié ||
| FB | 15 | Ange Capuozzo | 31' |
| RW | 14 | Pierre Bruno | 65' |
| OC | 13 | Ignacio Brex |
| IC | 12 | Paolo Garbisi |
| LW | 11 | Monty Ioane |
| FH | 10 | Tommaso Allan |
| SH | 9 | Stephen Varney | 44' |
| N8 | 8 | Lorenzo Cannone |
| OF | 7 | Michele Lamaro (c) | 44' |
| BF | 6 | Sebastian Negri |
| RL | 5 | Federico Ruzza |
| LL | 4 | Niccolò Cannone | 57' |
| TP | 3 | Pietro Ceccarelli | 55' |
| HK | 2 | Hame Faiva | 61' |
| LP | 1 | Simone Ferrari | 61' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Marco Manfredi | 61' |
| PR | 17 | Federico Zani | 61' |
| PR | 18 | Marco Riccioni | 55' |
| LK | 19 | Dave Sisi | 57' |
| FL | 20 | Manuel Zuliani | 44' |
| SH | 21 | Alessandro Fusco | 44' |
| CE | 22 | Luca Morisi | 65' |
| FB | 23 | Lorenzo Pani | 31' |
| Coach: ||
| Kieran Crowley ||
* Player of the Match:
* Grégory Alldritt (France)
* Assistant referees:
* Luke Pearce (England)
* Craig Evans (Wales)
* Television match official:
* Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Notes:
* Simone Ferrari and Luca Morisi (Italy) earned their 50th test caps.
* This was France's biggest ever win over Italy (by margin).