All Blacks paired with France in 2023 World Cup pools

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== RESENDING WITH FULL SHOTLIST AND SCRIPT == VIDEO SHOWS: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DRAW FOR THE 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP SHOWS: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 14, 2020) (WORLD RUGBY - ACCESS ALL) 1. AERIAL VIEW OF PARIS (MUTE) 2. VARIOUS OF OUTSIDE OF VENUE HOSTING THE DRAW (MUTE) 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOST OF CEREMONY ON STAGE SAYING: "Some magical moments and many more to come of course, with 10 host cities across France from Bordeaux to Lyon, Nantes to St. Etienne, Lille to Toulouse, Nice to St. Denis and Marseille to Paris." 4. HOST WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON 5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT, SAYING: "Every 12 years we're (France) in the final of the World Cup. I did the calculations and it means that in 2023 that will be 12 years after our last final. So believe me in 2023 we need to bring the cup home. We'll all be behind you, right behind you. "We're celebrating an important anniversary in rugby terms, it's the 10th World Cup, every 12 years we're in the final. In 2023 I want us to be in the final and win the cup, we'll be enthusiastic and demanding." 6. WIDE OF DRAW 7. VARIOUS OF DRAW TAKING PLACE 8. GRAPHIC SHOWING THE GROUPS FROM THE DRAW 9. FORMER RUGBY PLAYERS SINGING THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM 'LA MARSEILLAISE' STORY: Three-times winners and perennial favourites New Zealand will face hosts France in the pool stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC), but both teams will be confident of advancing after landing Italy as the third seed in the group when the draw was made on Monday (December 14). Holders South Africa were grouped with Ireland and Scotland while 2019 runners-up England face the potentially tricky dual challenge of Argentina and Japan. Wales will play Australia for the fourth time in five tournaments, with the ever-dangerous Fiji also in that pool. The seedings for the RWC have routinely been decided around three years out but this time, given the COVID-disruption of the international calendar, organisers decided to use the rankings as at the end of last year - four years ahead of the tournament. Consequently, Wales, beaten semi-finalists in 2019 but currently ranked ninth, were among the top four seeds but France, hosts and now ranked fourth, were placed in the second tier. Scotland and Argentina would have been in the second tier of seeds on current rankings but were placed in the third level after failing to reach the knockout stages in 2019. World Champions South Africa went into the draw having not played a single match since the 2019 final. Their victory in Japan marked the first time a team had won the competition after losing a pool match. New Zealand are the only team never to have lost a pool game. In 2011 they beat France at that stage, then again in the final. The tournament, the sport's 10th, will take place across nine cities from Sept. 8 to Oct. 21, with the final in Paris. France also hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The tournament will consist of 20 teams drawn into four pools of five. Twelve nations have already qualified - making up the top three bands of seeds - while eight qualifiers are yet to be determined and will not be finalised until November, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron was present at the draw. (Production: Andy Ragg)

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