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PARIS – New Zealand will be made to fight all the way for a third consecutive title as a ground-breaking Rugby World Cup gets under way in Japan next week with half a dozen teams confident of jockeying for the William Webb Ellis trophy.

While the bookmakers have the All Blacks as clear favourites, they will not be the number one-ranked team at the September 20-November 2 tournament, Ireland having taken that mantle after two warm-up wins over Six Nations Grand Slam champions Wales.

But there is no doubt about the strength in depth of Steve Hansen’s New Zealand, a side that features three former World Rugby Players of the Year in skipper Kieran Read, influential lock Brodie Retallick and playmaker Beauden Barrett.

The All Blacks’ win percentage since winning the inaugural 1987 tournament, alongside with those in 2011 and 2015, is a staggering 84 percent and it will take an outstanding performance to dislodge them from their path to a fourth title in the first World Cup to be held in Asia.

They kick off on September 21 with what promises to be a humdinger of a Pool B match against an ever-improving South Africa. The two-time champions are skippered for the first time in a World Cup by a black player, flanker Siya Kolisi.

Italy, Namibia and Canada make up the pool, so that match against the Springboks will very likely decide the group winner, who will go on to play the runner-up in a Pool A that features Ireland, Scotland and Japan.

“We love the draw because it’s meant we’ve turned up and there’s no excuses, no waiting for us to get used to the intensity – it’s right there in front of us,” said All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster.

“We’re about to face a very confident South African team, but they’re going to face a very determined All Blacks team — we know South Africa are going to be 100 percent prepared and we’ve got to make sure we are too.”

Ireland, twice winners over New Zealand in recent times (in 2016 and 2018), headline Pool A which also includes Six Nations rivals Scotland, hosts Japan, and Russia and Samoa.

There is no doubt that Ireland’s Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt, whose pedigree includes a Top 14 title with French club Clermont, two European Cups with Leinster and back-to-back Six Nations titles with Ireland in 2014 and 2015, has girded a solid team capable of dreaming of going beyond the quarter-finals for a first time in their history.

Key to that is current World Rugby player of the year Johnny Sexton.

The 34-year-old playmaker makes Ireland tick, but they need him to regain the masterful form he has struggled to find in recent months.

“Yes we would love to make that semi-final and I don’t set goals,” Schmidt admitted.

“So it is not even a goal, it is a dream I have that I would love to see come to fruition”. — AFP.