New Zealand has chosen to establish its base camp in Lyon during the 2023 Rugby World Cup (September 8 – October 28) in France, the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, formalized on Friday. The All Blacks, three-time world champions (1987, 2011, 2015), will train at the facilities of the LOU club (Lyon Olympique Universitaire), which plays in the Top 14, and the Gerland playground, where an investment of 500,000 euros will be needed to completely renovate the locker rooms. They will also be able to use the annex gymnasium of the Palais des sports de Gerland.
The New Zealand team will reside in the Lyon region in a location yet to be defined, for four and a half weeks, the duration of the group stage. However, a hotel under construction inside the Gerland stadium site, which is to be inaugurated in January 2023, could be chosen. The All Blacks, who will play the opening match of the 2023 World Cup against the XV of France on September 8 in Saint-Denis, will face Italy on September 29 and Uruguay on October 5 in Lyon, where three other matches of the World must also be played: Wales – Australia on September 24, Uruguay – South Africa on September 27, and France – Italy on October 6.
Several selections qualified for the World Cup have already chosen their base camp such as Scotland in Nice, Wales in Versailles, Australia in Saint-Étienne and Fiji in Libourne. France, host country, should not reside in its National Rugby Center in Marcoussis (Essonne) for reasons of fairness, while South Africa, reigning world champion, has not yet announced its decision.