Sudden-death matches can bring out the best, and the worst, in players, and All Blacks lock Luke Romano is preparing to fight fire with fire against France in Sunday's World Cup quarter-final.

OPINION: The French are as much hung up on 2007 as New Zealanders are, writes Gregor Paul.

For Kiwi Genevieve Gibson and her French fiance Fabien Le Gall, this weekend's quarter-final clash between the All Blacks and France is a different kind of test.

Joe Moody's arrival from NZ as a replacement for Tony Woodcock means the All Blacks are back to full fitness as they prepare for their date with destiny.

France and World Cups equal glory and disaster and if you love an epic, it's time to revel in what we are about to receive, writes Chris Rattue.

France is the first team to reach the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals after beating Canada 41-18 in their Pool D match.

Live updates and stats from the Rugby World Cup pool D clash between France and Canada.

A bonus-point victory was the best thing France took away from the Olympic Stadium after struggling to put away a limited Romania side 38-11 today.

Live updates and stats from the Rugby World Cup pool D clash between France and Romania at the Olympic Stadium.

France stayed on course with Pool D rival Ireland in winning its opening match at the Rugby World Cup against Italy.

The French rugby team's woes continue - they've now been slapped with a parking ticket.

In a move which suggests that World Cup organisers have a sense of humour, France have been assigned a hotel in Croydon.

Sir Clive Woodward has claimed France would have won the 2011 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks if the match was 'refereed properly'.

In French rugby, different rules apply. Dan Carter got a taste of what life will be like at Racing Metro when he played five matches for Perpignan in 2009...

The rugby world has turned upside down. Australia, with its history of scrum woes.

Every one of today's final round of JWC pool games has something riding on it, but none more so, as far as the home side is concerned, than the Wales-France Pool B showdown in Albany.

From the get-go, this clash appealed as the tightest fixture of the day.

France operate at their best on raw emotion. They are at their best when they are seemingly hopeless cases. Then, the natural order of things tends to go out the window.

France, forever touted as an All Black nemesis, are nothing of the sort, writes Gregor Paul. Their record against NZ is fairly dire.