It was a thrilling opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup in France and there were big wins for the hosts, France, the world number ones Ireland, England and of course the defending champions, South Africa.

On Friday night, Les Blues kicked off their campaign for a first-ever World Cup title with a comprehensive 27-13 win over the All Blacks in the iconic Stade de France.

The win will certainly fire the French up, but having said that, despite the defeat, the All Blacks now have a clear path to the quarter-finals.

France - David Ramos - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

The coach of the three-time champions, Ian Foster, said they will go back to the drawing board, but it’s far from panic-stations.

“I'm really satisfied with a lot of the stuff that we did for a large part of the game, but they managed to squeeze us with territory and possession, particularly in that last quarter and really forced us to play under a lot of pressure.

“They certainly earned their win, and while it was a big one-off game for us, it doesn't change a lot. “Now we've just to go and find another direction through this pool and get excited about the next three games.”

On Saturday, Italy fired a big warning shot with a convincing 52-8 win over Namibia in Saint-Étienne, while the Irish got off to a very strong start with 82-8 drubbing of Romania in Bordeaux.

The Wallabies in turn earned their first-ever win in the Eddie Jones tenure with a comfortable 35-15 win over Georgia.

The English in their turn earned arguably the biggest win on Saturday with a 27-10 victory over Argentina in Marseille.

This after having to play with 14-men for the best part of the Test after the flanker Tom Curry earned a red card following a bunker review. The player will now appear before a disciplinary committee.

The flyhalf, George Ford, was simply outstanding for the English and almost single handedly beat the Los Pumas.

George Ford - Michael Steele - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

A visibly relieved England coach, Steve Borthwick, lauded his team leadership following a game the Pumas should perhaps have won.

“It's never about one individual. We're a close-knit team. We've had a bit of a rocky build-up to this World Cup but the last 10 days there's been a bit of a different feel about the place, the way the lads have grabbed hold of it and it's a pleasure to be a part of. I must say it's only the start of course, it's game one, we'll look to build on it next week.

“Winning the first game is always a good thing against a quality team like Argentina. But again, it's only the first game. We've got some tough games to come and we're in a position where we want to keep improving.”

Meanwhile, the Springboks were simply outstanding in their tough opening game against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday.

The Scots were a major obstacle for the Springboks in Pool B and a win was a non-negotiable. The Boks dominated the defence and the setpiece as they beat Scotland 18-3 after leading 6-3 at half time.

The win gives the Springboks some breathing room now, with their only real remaining challenge in the group of death being Ireland.

The Boks coach, Jacques Nienaber, lauded their second half intensity and said the big thing for them is to continue with their dominance going forward.

“Rugby is not a complicated sport. If you get a good platform from the forwards, then you can create space and create some magic.

“The big thing for us is to get a return for our dominance. We just couldn't build any scoreboard pressure. There is a lot to look at and we have to make sure we pitch up with the right mentality against Romania.”

However, for now the Boks turn their attention to Romania, who they will face on Sunday at 15:00 in Bordeaux.

Semi Radradra - Adam Pretty - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

In some of the weekend's other games, Italy proved why they should be taken seriously as a team they are certainly no longer a tier 2 team. Chile brought their passion to the World Cup and they match against Japan was most definately a thrilling affair, while Fiji game agonisinly close what could have been the first big upset.

Round one results:

France 27 New Zealand 13

Italy 52 Namibia 8

Ireland 82 Romania 8

Australian 35 Georgia 15

England 27 Argentina 10

Japan 42 Chile 12

South Africa 18 Scotland 3

Wales 32 Fiji 26

Morgan Piek OFM Sport