Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony 2015: Date, TV Start Time and Live Stream

The rugby world will turn its eyes to Twickenham on Friday as the opening ceremony kicks off the hotly anticipated 2015 World Cup.Hosts England will face Fiji following the festivities, which will be based around the theme of "breaking new ground" and explore the journey of rugby from its inception to the start of 2015's global tournament, per Victoria Jones of Wales Online.The show will be just 40 minutes long and will finish 35 minutes ahead of the England and Fiji teams kicking off the action at 8 p.m. BST. The game can be streamed on theITV Playerin the UK andUniversal Sportsin the US.Assurances have been made that, with the opening ceremony scheduled so close to the start of play, there is no chance of the starting kick-off being delayed, per Nik Simon in theDaily Mail.The warm-ups for both Fiji and England will be altered somewhat, though, as they will not havethe full use of theTwickenhampitchto carry out their final preparations.England captain Chris Robshawdiscussed the issue and insisted his side will be as prepared as ever despite the distractions, per BBC Sport's Chris Jones:We've spoken a little bit about what to expect [from the ceremony], and what's different. The warm-up is going to be slightly different because you can't go on the actual pitch.But as players it's about going out there and playing our game, and trying not to get too caught up in the emotion.Of course it's going to be a fantastic show for everyone else in the world, but as players we've got to focus on doing a job, and putting in our best performance.Although specific details of the ceremony have been kept under wraps, it is sure to feature the legendary moment when William Webb Ellis picked up a ball and ran with it while playing football at Rugby School in 1823, thus inventing a new sport.The game has come quite some way since then, and the upcoming World Cup could well be the best ever, with a number of teams in contention to win the famedWebb Ellis Cup.New Zealand are the defending champions and favourites. South Africa will also be a major player come the business end of the tournament.Hosts England are under enormous pressure to perform, not least as they have to combat a tough Group A, which includes Australia, Wales, Fiji and Uruguay.With tougher games to come against the Welsh and the Wallabies, the opener against Fiji is anabsolutemust-win forStuart Lancaster's men, but the Pacific Islanders pose a genuine threat.Fiji are one of the top 10 sides in the world, and Lancaster has decided to field the same team he did against Ireland in the final warm-up match to combat them, per England Rugby:England will need Twickenham to be a fortress at the 2015 tournament, with the majority of the 82,000-strong crowd likely to be backing the hosts on Friday.The 2015 World Cupopening ceremony could play a key role in rousing the spectators in south west London, and there is likely to be a stunning atmosphere as six weeks of the highest-quality rugby gets under way.
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