"Wait is Almost Over" - Top 5 Rugby World Cup Matches to Watch this Weekend

The long awaited 2023 Rugby World Cup gets underway this weekend, with the opening three days of action providing eight fixtures to enjoy. The pubs and fan zones are getting ready to open for a busy few weeks of Rugby World Cup action, with the buzz well and truly in the air.

Will the Springboks retain the Webb Ellis Cup? Can Les Bleus make home advantage count? Could the mighty All Blacks bounce back to world domination?

Questions like these are on every rugby fan's mind as we count down to France 2023.

Make a Greene King pub your Rugby Rendezvous. Watch the big games on the big screens they deserve. Enjoy having great food and drink on tap. Take your pick of juicy match-ups with all the home nations, global giants, and 15-a-side superstars ready to ruck.

With the first match kicking off, here are the top five Rugby World Cup matches to watch this weekend.

The hotly anticipated Rugby World Cup opener between France and New Zealand will ignite the competition, with fireworks expected for this seismic Parisian clash. The perfect way to start the Rugby World Cup, with two of the favourites to win the whole competition battling it out in the opening match.

The All Blacks enter the tournament searching for a record setting fourth Rugby World Cup title. The squad is star-studded with previous winners, with the legends of 2011 and 2015 set for one last ride in this trip to France. Most notably of the group is second row Sam Whitelock, who is the most capped All Black, and could become the first ever player to win three Rugby World Cup titles if New Zealand lift the Web Ellis trophy.

Starring down the haka will be France, with Les Bleus wanting nothing more than to win their first ever Rugby World Cup on home soil. This would be the dream result in Fabien Galthie's perfect world, however, some notable injuries have presented an all-too clear reminder of the trials and tribulations that lay ahead in the coming weeks. France will be without their first choice fly half Romain Ntamack, as the Toulouse star suffered an ACL injury against Scotland during the Summer Nations Series.

France have taken further injury blows for the opening contest against the All Blacks, with powerhouse centre Jonathan Danty, loosehead prop Cyrill Baille and lock Paul Willemse all occupying the injury list. Due to the litany of Les Bleus injuries, fortune favours the All Blacks to bounce back from their record defeat against the Springboks.

With the dust settled on the opening contest, Italy take on Namibia to wrap up Pool A's match day one action, before Ireland's quest for a first ever Rugby World Cup title gets underway. A win seems all but guaranteed in what looks like a seemingly straightforward match against Romania, however Ireland fans know all too well the dangers that comes with complacency at the Rugby World Cup. The memories of the 2019 pool stage defeat to Japan are slowly being erased, yet are not entirely forgotten four years later.

Andy Farrell's men are in fine form heading into the competition, and are rightly amongst the front-running favourites to win the competition. An impressive Grand Slam in the 2023 Six Nations was the nation's first since 2018, with Ireland ruling the rugby landscape atop their roost as the number one ranked side. Ireland's long-serving captain Johnny Sexton will return for their opening match in Boardeaux, as he has served his ban after verbally abusing a match official at the 2023 Champions Cup Final.

Despite being underdogs, Romania are in no way pushovers. The hard-hitting Eastern Europeans have been to the bright lights of the Rugby World Cup before, and have experienced the taste of victory in previous pool stage matches (vs Portugal, 2007 Rugby World Cup). Head Coach Eugen Apjok has pieced together a bruising side, with the likes of Tongan born centres Tangimana Fonovai and Tevita Manumua.

Despite the expected best efforts of Romania, even a weakened Ireland side will present too great of a gulf in class. Andy Farrell's men should be off to the races with a resounding victory, and put their best foot forward ahead of the more competitive Pool B clashes with South Africa and Scotland.

After Eddie Jones' Wallabies take on Georgia in Pool C's opening contest (Saturday 17:00 KO, Stade de France), Jones' former side start off their own Rugby World Cup campaign. England take on Argentina in the opening match of Pool D, with all eyes on Steve Borthwick's men after a disappointing run of recent form.

A lacklustre Six Nations campaign saw England finish fourth, with wins over Italy and Wales being the saving graces. England then traded Summer wins with Wales in a two-match series, before being beaten by Ireland in a difficult trip to Dublin. Borthwick's men then faced a less than favourable Twickenham send-off, as they suffered their first ever defeat to Fiji at the end of August.

Argentina enter the match as the team in form, in what is lining up to be an intriguing contest. If Los Pumas are able to perform at their best, then they could well be the expected favourites against a weakened England side. Borthwick's ranks have been thinned out with Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola both suspended after high tackle incidents throughout the Summer. England's injury list has also racked up a lot of names, with Anthony Watson, Kyle Sinckler, Tom Curry, Elliot Daly, Manu Tuilagi and George Martin all uncertain for the Argentine opener.

Jack van Poortvliet's World Cup campaign is over before it began, with Alex Mitchell re-called to the squad as injury cover in his absence. Argentina enter the tournament riding a wave of momentum, after picking up wins over Australia and Spain, and impressing in a narrow one-point defeat to South Africa. This one looks like it will go down to the wire, with England's key absentees and poor recent form being decisive factors in our prediction.

The biggest clash of the weekend, South Africa take on Scotland in what will be a definite tone setter for Pool B. The 'Pool of Death' also features Ireland, with the early Rugby World Cup draw being to blame for this lop-sided tournament. Three of the five highest ranked nations find themselves together in Pool B, with just two spaces up for grabs to progress through to the knock-out stages.

The Springboks come into the Rugby World Cup riding a tidal wave of momentum. The wrapped up their warm-up matches with an emphatic victory over New Zealand, as they handed the All Blacks their heaviest ever defeat. The 35-7 win at Twickenham was a true statement of intent, with the Springboks leapfrogging New Zealand up to second in the World Rugby rankings in the process.

However, South Africa's previous form was less inspiring. They suffered an earlier defeat to the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby Championship (35-20), and were only able to secure two narrow wins over Argentina. Albeit, they did put the sword to the Wallabies, despite fielding what Eddie Jones referred to as a 'half-baked side'. The Springboks' mixed bag of Rugby Championship momentum has seemingly improved, as they head into the opening Rugby World Cup match.

Scotland could well thrive in their status as Pool B underdogs, with Gregor Townsend preparing some tricks to upset the favourites and sneak out into the quarter-finals. However, Scotland will be without Stuart Hogg, as the fullback hung up his boots ahead of the competition, with a shocking early retirement. Scotland's recent form sees them secure Summer Nations series wins over Italy (25-13), a weakened France side (25-21, before losing the return match 30-27), and a final comprehensive win against Georgia, despite trailing at half-time (33-6).

On paper, this match seems set up for a Springboks victory, however, South Africa are another side who know all to well the dangers of expecting to win at the Rugby World Cup. The memory of the 'Brighton Miracle' of 2015 will live on for Japan rugby fans, with the 'Boks struggling to live down the Rugby World Cup humiliation. We think South Africa will eventually secure the win, but Scotland will fight tooth and nail to make it as hard as possible for them.

Closing out the first weekend of Rugby World Cup action, is the hard to predict pick of the bunch for Sunday. Before the 2023 Summer Nations Series, there would have been far less neutral interest in this Pool C match than there is today. Hot off the back of a historic victory over England, Fiji have climbed up the World Rugby rankings to seventh place. Fiji now sit considerably higher than Warren Gatland's Wales, who have dropped down to 10th following an underwhelming 2023 Six Nations and subsequent Summer series.

Wales traded wins with England, as they secured a 20-9 triumph in Cardiff, yet failed to get the job done at Twickenham. Gatland's side should have won back-to-back matches, as England at one stage dropped down to just 12 men following repeated ill-discipline at home. Wales' final match of the Summer was a heavy defeat to South Africa, as the Springboks ran roughshod in the Principality Stadium for a 16-52 away win.

It has been a turbulent time for Wales, following the WRU's contract negotiation saga throughout the 2023 Six Nations. Wales have had their ranks depleted from their veteran stars, as the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb have all voluntarily withdrawn from camp. A back injury to Six Nations captain Ken Owens further reduces the leadership group, with some of Wales' exciting young talents (such as Exeter Chiefs centre Joe Hawkins) ruled out of the competition due to contractual agreements in different countries.

The Flying Fijians are living up to their name, with blistering performances throughout the Summer. A clean sweep saw Fiji record wins over Japan, Tonga and Samoa to win the 2023 Pacific Nations Cup, before a slight set-back saw them defeated 34-17 by France. Simon Raiwalui's side bounced back in style with their historic first win over England, and look like the team in form going into this Sunday's match against Wales.

If the likes of Caleb Muntz, Semi Radradra and Waisea Nayacalevu all hit top gear in Bordeaux, then Wales would be hard pressed to stop the Pacific Islanders from recording another memorable win. Fiji will be eyeing up this Rugby World Cup campaign as a golden opportunity to showcase their talents to the world with an extended run in the competition. The favourable draw puts them at an advantage, and they could well reach the dizzying heights of the semi-finals come October.