The Latest from the Rugby World Cup:
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10 p.m.
A hugely eventful second day is over at the Rugby World Cup as France coasted to a 32-10 win over Italy in their Pool D opener.
Flyhalf Frederic Michalak led the way with 19 points for the French, who should gain further confidence against Romania next week.
But the drama at Twickenham was tame compared to the raucous atmosphere in Brighton, where earlier Japan stunned South Africa 34-32 in Pool B — the tournament's biggest ever upset.
The tone was set for upsets when Georgia won for only the third time at the tournament, taking down Tonga 17-10 in a physical Pool C match.
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9 p.m.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has made a very brave claim.
Despite his team losing 34-32 to Japan in the biggest ever Rugby World Cup shock, he says "I still believe in these players and I still think we can win the World Cup."
Not going to be very easy.
First of all, his players have to get the better of a physical Samoa next weekend and an improving Scotland side the week after.
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8:55 p.m.
At halftime at Twickenham, France leads Italy 15-3, all on penalties. No surprise in a game which has been stop-start.
Italy's discipline has been poor, conceding 11 penalties, seven of them within kicking range, and France has taken five. Freddie Michalak has nailed four of six, and fullback Scott Spedding put one over from his own half, just.
Tommaso Allan kicked over one of two penalty shots for Italy.
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8 p.m.
France vs. Italy has kicked off at Twickenham, only their second match away from their homelands. They played in Buenos Aires in 1995.
There's no lacking for support for both teams in this first meeting between them in the Rugby World Cup.
Italy was fired up after the national anthems, and while it has only three wins against France in 36 contests, two were in the last five years.
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7:30 p.m.
Japan's odds of winning the tournament have been slashed from 1,000-1 to 300-1 after its incredible win over two-time champions South Africa, in the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history.
Japan won 34-32 with a try deep in injury time to replacement back Karne Hesketh.
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6:35 p.m.
It's 12-10 to South Africa against Japan at halftime in their Rugby World Cup Pool B opener — but it's the Japanese fans in jubilant mood.
Perhaps the balmy sea air of Brighton, on the English south coast, has sent South Africa to sleep.
Japan has taken the game to the South Africa, even bullying the Springboks with a couple of superb rolling mauls.
The halftime team talk in the South African dressing room is likely to be somewhat animated.
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6 p.m.
Brighton's small and compact stadium shook to the sound of a rousing roar as Japan opened the scoring against South Africa in their Pool B opener at the Rugby World Cup.
Ayumu Goromaru kicked Japan ahead, but then missed another penalty in the 11th minute.
The Community Stadium, tucked away in the foothills, was full to the brim with a strong presence of Japanese fans, some wearing red and white wig,s and breaking out into sustained chants of "Nippon, Nippon" early on.
The Japanese players — let alone the fans — faced a long afternoon against a Springbok side packed with 888 test caps worth of experience.
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4:30 p.m.
Ireland calmed its supporters' worries for now by dealing to Canada 50-7 in their Pool D opener at the Rugby World Cup.
The champions of Europe for the last two years came into the tournament on the back of two warm-up defeats.
But by halftime in Cardiff they were 29-0 up on the back of four tries, and scored three more in the last 16 minutes. Prop Cian Healy had an injury-time try disallowed for a knock-on, which would have tied Ireland's highest score against the Canadians, 55 in 2008 in Limerick.
Victory was spoiled only by DTH Van Der Merwe's intercept try that made it 36-7, and a yellow card for captain Paul O'Connell, who equaled the Irish record of a fourth World Cup appearance, tying Brian O'Driscoll.
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3:20 p.m.
Ireland scored four tries — including three while Canada captain Jamie Cudmore was in the sin-bin — to earn a 29-0 lead at halftime of their Pool D opener in the Rugby World Cup at Cardiff.
With Jonny Sexton running the show from flyhalf and the team's relentless forwards punching holes in Canada's defence, Ireland secured the bonus-point try within 36 minutes.
Cudmore was yellow-carded in the 18th for playing the ball with his hand at a ruck, with the score 3-0. While he was off, Sean O'Brien, Iain Henderson, and Sexton scored tries.
Dave Kearney added a fourth try before halftime.
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2:30 p.m.
There's a sea of green under the closed roof at Millennium Stadium as Ireland fans prepare to cheer on their team in the Pool D game against Canada.
Ireland, a genuine title contender this time round, will be looking to lay down a marker after defeats in the warm-ups to Wales and England punctured some of the optimism generated after retaining its Six Nations crown.
The Canadians usually provide game opposition and won't take a step back with uncompromising lock Jamie Cudmore as captain in place of the injured Tyler Ardron. But they were smashed by Fiji in a warm-up and aren't likely to pose Ireland too many problems.
Canada has never beaten Ireland in six attempts and lost 55-0 in their most recent meeting, in Limerick in 2008. One thing going for Canada — its coach, Kieran Crowley, was a World Cup winner with New Zealand in 1987.
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2:10 p.m.
Georgia has won for only the third time at its fourth Rugby World Cup, taking down Tonga 17-10 in a match which lived up to predictions of brutal attrition.
The Georgians pushed their 10-3 halftime lead out to 17-3 in the third quarter when flanker Giorgi Tkhilaishvili began and finished a counterattack from his own half.
But with eight minutes to go, Tonga finally breached Georgia's defence, with winger Fetu'u Vainikolo on an overlap scoring his 15th try and taking sole possession of Tonga's try-scoring record.
Georgia contained the rest of Tonga's desperate attempts to score again, and grabbed an edge in the race to finish third in Pool C to secure an automatic qualifying spot at the 2019 tournament in Japan.
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1:25 p.m.
South Africa has been dealt a blow before its Rugby World Cup opener against Japan, with flanker Willem Alberts ruled out hours before kickoff after injuring his calf in the eve-of-game captain's run.
Springboks doctor Craig Roberts says it is a "precautionary measure."
Pieter-Steph du Toit will start at No. 7 in Brighton, with his place on the bench going to giant lock Eben Etzebeth.
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12:55 p.m.
Georgia lead Tonga 10-3 at Kingsholm after an error-strewn first half.
Tonga deservedly led early thanks to a Kurt Morath penalty, but started giving away penalties as Georgia kept a tighter rein on possession, and not kicking to Tonga's dangerous wings.
Merab Kvirikashvili levelled with a penalty, and converted a try by captain Mamuka Gorgodze, after Georgia worked the phases from a lineout and caught Tonga napping at a ruck in front of its own posts.
Tonga thought it had a try from a nifty lineout move right on halftime, but it was waived off because of a forward pass.
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12 p.m.
Georgia scrumhalf Vasil Lobzhanidze has become the youngest player in Rugby World Cup history at 18 with the match against Tonga having kicked off at sunny Gloucester.
Lobzhanidze eclipsed the previous record by 33 days of U.S. centre Thretton Palamo, who made his sole Cup appearance in 2007, and will reappear on Sunday against Samoa. Lobzhanidze is also the first player born in the professional era to appear in a Cup.
He's expected to be busy in a grueling forward battle, as Georgia seeks only its third Cup win, and Tonga its seventh.
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11 a.m.
After England got off to a winning start with a flattering but hard-earned 35-11 win against Fiji on Friday night, other leading sides play on day 2 of the Rugby World Cup.
South Africa has a massively experienced side with a combined total of 880 test caps against Japan in their Pool B opener in Brighton, while Ireland looks to rebound from disappointing warm-up results and justify its No. 2 ranking by dispatching Canada in Pool D.
As ever, it's hard to know which France side — impressive or exasperating — will turn up against Italy at Twickenham, while in Kingsholm Georgia will field the youngest player in World Cup history when 18-year-old scrumhalf Vasil Lobzhanidze lines up against physical Tonga.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.