Rugby World Cup 2019™ shot of the day – and the kit that captured it

From the thousands of images a pro sports photographer shoots during a single sporting event, there's usually one that stands out. It could be a shot of a key moment in the action, a creative image from an unusual angle, or just a picture that sums up the emotion of the occasion.

One of the Rugby World Cup 2019™ matches covered by Getty Images photographer Cameron Spencer was the group stage match between France and Argentina. Although group stage matches can sometimes be one-sided, these two teams were well matched and the stage was set for a close contest.

Here Cameron talks about the match, how he came to shoot it from one position, and the kit and settings he used – and chooses his favourite shot of the day…

"France v Argentina was a twilight match, so it started in daylight and finished under lights," Cameron says. "At this match we had three Getty Images photographers shooting editorial and two shooting for World Rugby™, the sport's governing body, as official photographers for the tournament.

"With the editorial team we have one roving position in each match, and any other photographers need to be in a static position behind the goals, to cover all angles. For this game I remained in the one spot for the whole match."

Camera kit and shooting settings

"I was shooting with four Canon EOS-1D X Mark II bodies. The reason I use it basically comes down to one thing: confidence that the camera will perform and that it's reliable. The key attributes are the autofocus, file quality and the ergonomics of the camera, as well as the ability to work in all lighting and weather conditions.

"The France v Argentina game was closely fought, with momentum swinging from one side to the other. Argentina dramatically missed a penalty late in the game and the match finished 23-21 to France. But my favourite shot from the day wasn't taken in the latter stages; it was from the beginning, when France's first try was scored [top].

"Virimi Vakatawa of France was on the burst when his team spread the ball wide through the back line. He passed to Gaël Fickou, who scored a try right in front of me. It was taken with my EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at an aperture of f/3.2, to separate the action from the background with a shallow depth of field. I used a shutter speed of 1/1600 sec to freeze the action.

"The shot was a mixture of judgement and some luck. It helps that I know rugby well – I have 25 years of knowing the sport, including nine years as a player. Watching certain teams and players, you learn to predict what will happen next, anticipating the play so you are one step ahead of the action and ready to capture the next big moment in the game.

"I chose this image because capturing sport is about documenting defining moments. In rugby, it's all about scoring tries, and they make great images, especially when players are flying through the air diving for the tryline. Defining moments usually come down to big tackles, breaking the defensive lines, scoring and then the celebration when scoring a try."