Eight years on from meeting in a World Cup semifinal, Wales and France cross path again, but this time a spot in the last four is at stake.
France edged a tight, low-scoring affair 9-8 after Wales had Sam Warburton sent off in the first half, before ultimately losing to New Zealand in the final.
It was Les Bleus' fourth consecutive win over Wales and their seventh in eight games at the time, but it also proved to be the end of a period of French dominance in this particular contest.
Since the 2011 semifinal, France has won just one of the following eight meetings against Wales—and there is little to suggest the losing streak will be snapped on Sunday.
France, as always, is a riddle impossible to decipher. Les Bleus can go from resembling a rabble to play like world-beaters within the same game, let alone over the course of a tournament.
Against both Argentina and Tonga, France squandered 17-point leads before eventually getting over the line, but was far more comfortable in a win over the U.S.
France's biggest test would have come against England in its final game of Pool C, but with both teams already qualified for the quarterfinals the game was canceled because of Typhoon Hagibis.
While Les Bleus are yet to taste defeat, it will be intriguing to see whether a two-week layoff has had a positive impact or whether it has left them off the boil.
Additionally, reports of division within the camp—a de rigueur element as far as World Cup campaigns go for France—hardly represent ideal preparation for a World Cup quarterfinal.
France scrum-half Baptiste Serin, however, suggested the feeling in the ranks was upbeat and almost buoyant.
"You have the feeling something is happening in this group," he told a press conference earlier this week. "We don't want to be in the quarter-finals just for the sake of it. We want to find a way of getting to the semis."
Finding a way is something Wales has specialized in during Warren Gatland's tenure, and something it seems to have perfected in this tournament.
Wales survived a bruising encounter against Australia and was pushed all the way by Fiji, but eventually secured first spot in Pool D—the first time it has qualified as pool winner since 1999.
Wales arrives into the game with the gravitas of being ranked No. 2 in the world after winning a fourth Six Nations title under Gatland, and a third Grand Slam to boot.
In this year's Six Nations, Wales trailed 16-0 in Paris in the opening game of the tournament, before storming back to win 24-19.
Gatland will step down at the end of the tournament after 12 years in the role and his players are desperate to ensure the New Zealander bows out on a high.
"He's been around for a long time, how many Six Nations championships he's had and how far he's gone in the World Cup in the past," Wales flanker Josh Navidi was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"We want them [the coaching staff] to finish on a high and, how long they've been around, we want them to finish on a positive and give them the send-off they deserve."
The fitness of Dan Biggar and Jonathan Davies will be crucial to Wales' chances of reaching a second semifinal in eight years.
Along with George North, the duo returned to full training on Tuesday, while Hadleigh Parkes, Gareth Davies and Josh Adams were among the players to sit out the session to recover from minor bruises.
France, meanwhile, could be without scrum-half Antoine Dupont, who is nursing a back problem.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Sunday.
When and where is the game?
Wales takes on France at Oita Stadium in Oita on Sunday, October 19.
Kick-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. local time (3:15 a.m. ET).
TV coverage
The game will be live NBC Sports Gold. Viewers can purchase a single match pass for $29.99.
Live stream
Fans can follow the action in several ways. Live streams will be available via NBCSportsGold.com and NBC will broadcast the matches on desktop, mobile tablet and connected devices.
Live streams will also be available via Apple and Android devices, as well as Amazon Fire TV and Roku.
Series record
Sunday will be the 98th meeting between the two teams. Wales has won in 50 occasions, while France has come out on top on 44 occasions.
Wales has won the last two meetings and seven of the last eight, but France won the only meeting at the World Cup, edging a tight semifinal 9-8 in 2011.
Odds
According to Oddschecker, Wales is an 11/25 favorite, while France is a 47/20 underdog and the draw is at 23/1.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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