Second Week of Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023 – Key Takeaways & Lessons

The second week of matches saw one-third of the total number of RWC 2023 fixtures come to a conclusion at the Rugby World Cup in France. Some underdog sides showed their abilities, records were broken, and the tournament remains on track to break all previous attendance figures, social media engagement and viewership numbers.

Feature Photo Credit: JRFU – Fans in Nice at RWC 2023

At the Rugby World Cup weekly Tournament Conference, Tournament Director Michel Poussau and France 2023 Chairman Jacques Rivoal as well as Shems el Khalfaoui (Saint-Denis Deputy Major) spoke about the greater impact of the tournament on the communities and enticing new players to enjoy rugby.

Facts and Figures from The Second Week of Rugby World Cup 2023

The organisers confirmed the following stats after the second round in France:

• 1 million fans have attended RWC 2023 in stadia and at Rugby Villages (724 000 fans in stadia for the second round)
• 520 million views of official RWC 2023 content
• 420k official Fantasy Fame players
• 350k new social media followers 
• 7 rugby villages opened for 2nd weekend across France

On the broadcast and streaming numbers, Rivoal said “We can also highlight the audience figures; everywhere, we’re exploding the benchmarks that were set in Japan in 2019 and in England in 2015, sometimes 30 to 40 per cent more on the same metrics.  There’s excitement everywhere – in the stadiums and TV screens.”

He added that the match involving Japan had 30% more viewers than the equivalent match in Japan in 2019 even with the time difference.

• Audience ratings have been very high, especially in some unexpected regions – some numbers have been as high as the recent FIFA World Cup and Germany for example had as many as 3.5 million tune in (although OktoberFest is currently on so many fans from rugby nations would presumably be there for the festivities).

Image Credit: RWC 2023

On merchandising for Rugby World Cup 2023, the RWC 2023 organising committee don’t anticipate any shortages but has been pleasantly surprised by the sales numbers so far with the French merch the most popular but they still have stock. This was an issue at RWC 2019 where many items and sizes were sold out early on in Japan.

Stats from a team and players point of view:

• Jack Cornelson from Japan leads the tournament tackle count after two rounds – with 35 tackles!
• Ireland had the quickest ruck speed in the second round – 2.92 seconds – they also made the most carries, made the most metres, and had the most offloads in their win over Tonga
• England had the most kicks in play in their win over Japan – 85 in total.
• Italy, Georgia and Japan averaged 12 dominant tackles per game – the most of all the teams.

You can read all of the RWC 2023 stats here.

Keep Rugby Clean Weekend – Week 3 RWC 2023

The organisers reminded all that the third round of action sees a range of activities from the 20-24th September to promote the ‘Keep Rugby Clean” weekend. 

The Chile team trains in Perros-Guirec ahead of their Pool D match against England in Lille. Photo: Frankie Deges / World Rugby

Has Stadium Transport and Access Improved?

Rugby Asia 247 has had the pleasure of attending matches in Paris, Marseille and Nice. Our two matches in Nice were thwarted by long travel delays to reach the stadium and return to the city after the matches, and we spoke with many fans as they patiently waited on the provided busses and trams – the overall sentiment was that it took too long.

On days with double headers and even triple header matches at Rugby World Cup 2023, the organisers are asking fans to travel 30-45 minutes, walk 25 minutes, and arrive hours before a match, which is repeated on exiting the stadium – it’s a lot to ask for. In Nice, for example, connecting trams in the city don’t operate frequently all night and busses were getting back to the fan zone after midnight.

Photo Credit: JRFU – Japan Fans in Nice – RWC 2023

The RWC 2023 organisers however felt the transport services were adequate and didn’t feel there were any issues and went on to thank the partner for their efforts in putting in a huge effort to make it all work.

We feel a few times there has been a disconnect between what’s being portrayed and the reality. Whereas we felt the opening night in Saint-Denis was excellent and issues in Marseille on the first night were mostly and swiftly rectified by the second night – Nice remained problematic. They did confirm extra busses had been arranged to ensure fans could reach the stadium on time and thanked the operators for their reaction.

The same sentiment of the security, police and volunteers – although everyone has been wonderfully pleasant – often getting some basic information has not been easy on the ground.

• One of the major positives was the decision to change the national antems used at matches following the backlash after the opening rounds, this has been hugely improved and more enjoyable at the stadiums we attended.
• On the flip side, whether it is the use of football stadiums for rugby matches or the general nervousness of some of the matches, the crowd atmosphere has not been what we hoped or even matched games we have been to globally. It’s not bad by any means but not as boisterous and in full song as we had anticipated.

Match Results –  September 14-17 – RWC 2023

Fiji, deservedly were the second-round headliners with their win over Australia at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard which was their first victory over the Wallabies in 69 years and means the pool is wide open with Wales, Australia, and Fiji all in contention for quarterfinal qualification.

SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 17: Waisea Nayacalevu of Fiji leads his teammates as players of Fiji perform the Cibi prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Australia and Fiji at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on September 17, 2023 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

The so-called Tier Two underdogs (well not all of them) really caught the imagination of the fans and again (as we appear to do every four years) piqued conversations about the state of the game and pathway opportunities for these rugby nations.

Portugal were so good against Wales in Nice, but much like Japan the following night against England, would rue the missed opportunities in the first half and failed to cause the upset but definitely won new fans with their attacking intent and passion on display.

The whole round though, started off with Uruguay who nearly toppled the French at Stade Pierre-Mauroy before the hosts eventually won 27-12 – a near-similar result to the margin France beat NZ.

World Rugby said that as much as USD $40 million was invested in teams outside of six nations and the Rugby Championship to support them in getting ready for the RWC 2023 with fixtures, training, and packages to enable them to be ready. Funding includes the growth of domestic investment for clubs and leagues such as the Super Rugby Americas (SRA) which has helped both Chile and Uruguay. As much as 80% of the Uruguayan team comes from their Peñarol side playing in the SRA which is funded by World Rugby.

The race is now truly on in each pool to determine who will finish in the top 2 and head to the RWC 2023 quarterfinals and who claims 3rd place and automatically qualifies for RWC 2027.

Pool A

• France 27-12 Uruguay
• New Zealand 71-3 Namibia

Pool B

• Ireland 59-16 Tonga
• South Africa 76-0 Romania

Pool C

• Fiji 22-15 Australia
• Wales 28-8 Portugal

Pool D

• England 34-12 Japan
• Samoa 43-10 Chile

The next round of Rugby World Cup 2023 matches start next Wednesday 20 September 2023 with the Pool A match between Italy and Uruguay.

Rugby World Cup 2023 News

• First Weekend of Rugby World Cup Tournament 2023 – Key Takeaways & Lessons.
• What Opta’s Data Says About Japan’s Performance Against Chile At RWC 2023.
• Rugby World Cup 2023 – The Ultimate Fans Guide.
• How French Rugby At All Levels Can Benefit From RWC 2023.