You complained and it looks like World Rugby listened. After demands that organisers axe the kids choirs ‘ruining anthems’, they have agreed to use remixed versions of participants’ national anthems, with the inclusion of “instrumental elements”.

France are the first side to agree to the use of this new version for their match against Uruguay. All other nations have to make a call within the next 48 hours on if they want to use the refreshed Rugby World Cup anthems.

Official statement on Rugby World Cup anthems change

Organisers said in an official release on the Rugby World Cup anthems: “Following a review of a record-breaking opening weekend which saw rugby’s biggest-ever audience in-stadia, Rugby Villages and via broadcast and digital, Rugby World Cup 2023 can confirm enhancements have been agreed to the national anthems moving forward. 

“The France 2023 Organising Committee, World Rugby and the French Ministry of Sport, in agreement with the Opéra-Comique and participating teams have agreed re-mixed versions of the national anthems, performed by the Mêlée des Choeurs, an educational and artistic project that involves more than 7,000 schoolchildren in the 2022-2023 school year. The re-mixed anthems will retain the recordings of the children’s voices while boosting the instrumental elements. 

“Following positive feedback on the approach, a number of unions, notably France, have agreed to the use of these new versions with final confirmation from all teams to be achieved in the next 48 hours. 

“All parties involved in the process would like to extend our warmest thanks to the students of the Mêlée des Choeurs, the teachers from the Education Nationale, the Maitrise Populaire and the Opéra-Comique, who have been passionately involved in this project since its inception. 

“We would also like to thank the teams for their full support and look forward to fans getting behind their teams as the anthems are played.”

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