New Zealand full-back Beauden Barrett is ready to exact his revenge on France when the two sides meet in their opening match of the Rugby World Cup on Friday.

Even though he has played in both the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups, the 116-time international player will be playing in his first opening game of a tournament on Friday.

Barrett’s last trip to Paris ended badly when Les Bleus beat them 40-25 in November 2021.

It was France’s first win against the All Blacks since 2009. Before that, the All Blacks had won 14 straight games, including the 2011 World Cup final.

“A lot of the guys, we’ve learnt so much in recent years,” 32-year-old Barrett told reporters on Wednesday.

“In particular the way the French put on an event in terms of the atmosphere, how they get behind their team, the ground announcements, the performance, it’s like a show.

“The home crowd will give them an advantage but we’ll use that as energy. The best way to stop that is to do the talking by scoring more points.

“These French boys have been waiting for this game for a long time, but so have we,” he added.

Five of the best teams in the world are on the same side of the draw, which makes the tournament even more exciting. Teams like Japan, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Georgia have also been getting better.

“You get that sense in recent years with the development of some nations. It’s going to be a fantastic tournament,” Barrett said.

“There’s been a lot of chat about the quarter-finals, and the draw, but we’re not looking too much past this first game.”