Soccer England v Chile, Rugby World Cup 2023: when is it and how to watch on TV
England face Chile in their third Pool D match at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The match will take place in Lille and will be the first of the tournament in which Owen Farrell is eligible to play, following the end of his four-game suspension for a high tackle on Wales’s Taine Basham.
England enjoyed a triumphant success over Argentina in their World Cup opener and then ‘won ugly’ against Japan in Nice on Sunday. Their final match will be against Samoa, also in Lille, on October 7.
Lewis Ludlam has urged England fans to keep the faith after many booed their gritty win over Japan.
When is it?
England v Chile takes place on Saturday, September 23 with the match kicking off at 4.45pm BST, 5.45pm local time.
Where is it?
Stade Pierre-Mauroy is the home of French Ligue 1 football team Lille OSC. The stadium was renamed in 2013, following the death of the former Mayor of Lille and former Prime Minister of France Pierre Mauroy.
With a capacity of just over 50,000, Stade Pierre-Mauroy is the one of the largest stadiums in France. Built in 2012, the stadium features a retractable roof and has solar panels and two turbines, which provide an electricity supply.
The stadium will host five pool-stage matches, including two of England’s, and will also be the venue for the handball and basketball tournaments in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Who is the referee?
South African Jaco Peyper will take charge of this one. Peyper is one of only two remaining referees from the 2019 knockout stages, when he took charge of Wales’s one-point victory over France in the quarter-finals.
How to watch on TV
ITV has exclusive broadcast rights to show the Rugby World Cup in the UK. This match will be on ITV1.
Radio commentary will be available only on the BBC, across Radio 5 Live, 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds service. The BBC says there will be a “bespoke output” in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How do I get tickets?
Tickets were still available to purchase for the match via the official Rugby World Cup tickets site as of September 19.
What is the recent history between the teams?
England have never played Chile in a men’s full rugby international.
What are England’s other pool matches?
Saturday, Sept 9 - England 27 Argentina 10
Sunday, Sept 17 - England 34 Japan 12
Saturday, Oct 7 - England v Samoa, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 4.45pm
Who is in the England squad?
Steve Borthwick will name his team to take on Chile later this week.
What are England saying?
Lewis Ludlam has urged booing fans to keep the faith after admitting that England could have shown more enterprise in their 34-12 win over Japan.
Supporters jeered as England repeatedly opted to kick, before staging a thrilling all-out assault on Japan that was directed by George Ford and replacement full-back Marcus Smith.
The game plan was to grind down unorthodox opponents and then take them apart. It worked, but for lengthy periods it was also a hard watch that clearly alienated some fans.
When asked for his message to supporters, Ludlam said: “I just say stick with us.
“We are a team that is learning every week and there are probably opportunities in there when we could have run that ball.
“However, it was hard to see how greasy that ball was. It was humid in that stadium and a couple of times we tried to play and ended up straight back on our try line.
“George Ford is very good at putting us in the right areas so that we have better opportunities to attack farther up the pitch. It’s hard to get the fans excited about that and we understand, but we’re building.
“That was probably not the performance we wanted but we are happy to get the win. We want to be a better team next weekend and play in the right areas of the pitch.”
What should we expect from Chile?
It has been a remarkable rise for Chile, who make their debut in the World Cup, after a two-leg qualifying victory over the United States.
They have, somewhat predictably, lost their opening two Pool D matches, 42-12 against Japan, and 43-10 versus Samoa, but they showed great spirit in both games and may well produce some unsettling moments for England.
