Siya Kolisi is the Springboks' captain. Picture: EPA-EFE/Kim Ludbrook
The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on Friday and will be battled out over the next two months with the final set for the end of October.
A number of teams will be vying for the title, but it is also a chance for certain individuals to stand out and secure legendary status among their fans.
The first ever black Springbok captain, Kolisi has continued to see his star shine since he was named in the position by Rassie Erasmus back in 2018. He obtained legendary status by leading the Boks to the 2019 title in Japan, establishing himself among the greats.
A serious knee injury threatened to wreck his 2023 World Cup ambitions, but a stunning recovery and two fantastic performances against Wales and the All Blacks see him back to his best.
Kolisi could be set to rewrite the history books once again and become the first South African captain to lift two World Cups and second ever after Richie McCaw.
French scrumhalf Antoine Dupont has arguably been the form player in world rugby over the past two years. He picked up the Player of the Year award in 2021 and was just edged out by Ireland’s Josh van der Flier last year.
Dupont has played a major part in the renaissance of French rugby over the past few years, with them battling it out at the top of the World Rugby rankings with Ireland, the Springboks and the All Blacks.
With this year being a home World Cup, France will arguably be the favourites and the form of Dupont could play a vital role in whether they lift the cup.
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Despite his horrible off-field ref abuse antics that saw him let off with a slap on the wrist, Sexton could become an even bigger Irish legend than he already is if he can lead his side to a first-ever World Cup title.
They are the top ranked side heading into the tournament but have struggled massively at the showpiece event having never made it past the quarterfinals.
They again find themselves in a tough position as they need to get through the group of death featuring the Springboks and Scotland, and then probably have to get past either the All Blacks or France to reach the semis.
The return of 38-year-old Sexton in his final internationals could be the spark they need.
Ardie Savea has become the All Blacks’ standout performer over the past two seasons, winning back-to-back New Zealand Player of the Year awards, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet every week.
He was the last All Black nominated for a World Rugby player of the year award, back in 2019, and after a rocky past few years he will be looking to help his side try and reclaim their former status as one of the world’s best.
Before the record loss against the Boks two weeks ago at Twickenham the All Blacks had won 10 and drawn one of their past 11 matches, and Savea was one of the big reasons for their resurgence in form and he will hope to do the same at the World Cup.
Fiji have a massive opportunity to make it further than they have in any previous World Cup, and it could come down to the form of explosive former rugby league and Sevens star Semi Radradra. They have reached the competition knockouts on three occasions, but never reached the semis.
They are on the weak side of the draw which gives them a great chance to progress, if they can upset Wales or Australia in the group stage, which could then see them face a quarterfinal against England or Argentina.
Radradra has been a big part of Fiji’s success over the years, playing in their first ever win over France in 2018 and their first ever win over England over the past weekend. He played in the 2019 World Cup and he could help his side make history this year.
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