The Breakdown | Rugby World Cup’s true kick-off will be South Africa v New Zealand

Game on second day between the winners of five out of the eight previous tournaments could be a preview of the finalFor two tournaments in the 1990s the World Cup opened with the sound of thunder. The meeting of the hosts and the holders was becoming a tradition when Wales were awarded the 1999 event and the organisers decided it would not be an ideal start if South Africa got near the 98 points they put on the men in red the year before. So World Cups have tended to start with, if not a whimper, then something less than a bellow, although Argentina in 2007, when they were involved in the open…