Rugby Australia has secured a landmark game ahead of the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023, by earning the right to host Les Bleus in Australia, when they take on the Wallabies.

The match will be the last game for both countries before the World Cup and will wrap up their preparations for the tournament. The Australian fans will be treated to a stellar game with two of the World Cup favourite teams in their own backyard in August 2023.

Rugby Australia locked the game in on a secret trip in France-where RA chairman Hamish McLennan and two-time World Cup winner Phil Kearns caught a train to Paris with  celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi-who acted as a translator for the pair and World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte. The trip was a gesture of thanks to Laporte who had encouraged France to keep their trip to Australia last July.

The alliance building comes at an important time with World Rugby officials still to back the World Cup bid for Australia to host the tournament in 2027. Laporte is one of the strongest voices in Rugby and RA is focussed on strengthening the relationship to cement it’s future on the world stage.

Keith Prowse Travel is excited to watch further developments for both the Rugby World Cup France 2023 and the pre-World Cup game in Australia. Limited packages are available for travel experiences during the tournament in France in 2023.

It seems the secret trip to Paris and lunch may have been a very important meal for Australian rugby!