William tells of excitement at return of Rugby World Cup

The Prince of Wales paid a flying visit to south-west France on Sunday.

The Prince of Wales with Gareth Davies (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)

The Prince of Wales has spoken of enjoying the opening matches of the Rugby World Cup as he visited Bordeaux to watch Wales’s Pool C fixture against Fiji.

William, patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, was greeted by RWC director Gareth Davies, venue director Paul Couet-Lannes and WRU president Gerald Davies after arriving at Stade de Bordeaux.

He then met Fijian President Wiliame Katonivere before taking his seat for the game, which Wales won 32-26 in a tense finish.

The prince initially commented on the warm weather in the French city, where temperatures have this weekend reached 36C, before discussing the tournament, which began on Friday with hosts France beating three-time champions New Zealand 27-13 in Paris.

“I can’t believe another World Cup has come around again,” he said to Gerald Davies.

“It’s exciting when it all kicks off. There have been some good matches already. The France-New Zealand game was fantastic.”

William’s flying visit to south-west France came a day after the Princess of Wales watched England defeat Argentina 27-10 in Marseille.

Wearing a dark blue suit with a red and white tie, the prince also expressed admiration for former Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, Test rugby’s most-capped player, who retired from international duty earlier this year and currently plays for French club Toulon.

“I’ll be looking for where Alun Wyn is,” William said during his conversation with Gerald Davies. “He’s been there so long, he’s a stalwart.”