Pool clash: England and Australia
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The draw for the 2015 Rugby World Cup has been made, with Australia, England and Wales set to collide.
Promptly named the 'Pool of Death', the host nation were pulled out of the container with the Welsh and Wallabies in the pick of the groups.
Current holders New Zealand find themselves alongside Argentina and Tonga, while South Africa meet Samoa and Scotland in Pool C.
The final Pool has a largely Six Nations feel to it as France, Ireland and Italy are drawn together.
The eight remaining teams will come from a series of global qualifying matches that started in Mexico in March and will culminate in 2014.
The quarter-final draw could see New Zealand up against either France, who knocked them out in the last eight in 2007, or an improving Ireland.
Meanwhile the winners of England, Australia or Wales will face Pool B's runners-up, who on current form are likely to be Samoa or Scotland.
Whoever wins Pool A will avoid New Zealand until the final provided the All Blacks, as they have done at every previous World Cup, win their group.
The Pool B winners will face Pool A's runners-up with the winners of a Pool D, where France will be favourites, facing the runners-up from Pool C, likely to be either Argentina or Tonga.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, the eighth edition of the tournament, will run from September 18 to October 31, 2015, with the final set to be played at Twickenham.
RWC 2015 Pools:
Pool A: Australia, England, Wales, Oceana 1, Play-off winner
Pool B: South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1, Americas 2
Pool C: New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Europe 1, Africa 1
Pool D: France, Ireland, Italy, Americas 1, Europe 2
At the draw it was also confirmed that the knockout phase structure will stay the same:
QF1: Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
QF2: Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
QF3: Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
QF4: Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
Bronze Final: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2
Comments
JamieTheProp says...
@ davodiablo - how do Wales have home advantage? The Millennium Stadium is only on the shortlist and, even if it does get through to the final list there is no guarantee that Wales will play there.
This isn't a BRITISH World Cup - it is an ENGLISH one.
Why would the RFU give a a team in our group home advantage and thus put pressure on us when we play them at Twikenham (assuming they get decent results at the Millennium Stadium)? I'd be ensuring they play their games in one of the tier 1 stadia (possibly Elland Road or Old Trafford) and then moving them around each game with as many miles as possible between them - while England play all their games at Twickenham.
This is all about eeking out every possible advantage - especially in a group that hard!
Posted 19:02 03rd December 2012
TVaddict says...
@physiodan
Agrees, but you forget the England winning by 50 points bit. :D
Posted 18:53 03rd December 2012
kybone says...
Its completey pointless trying to predict what will happen in nearly 3 years time. Wales may be back to their best, France might be the best team in the world, NZ might not be the force that they are at the moment. Having said that, i am already getting excited now that we know the draw.
Posted 18:34 03rd December 2012
Andy1000 says...
Firstly it's great for the game, the RWC has always been a bit mundane in the pools because of one sided matches, but now there's finally genuine contests for who'll make it through which can only be a good thing.
Secondly anthying can happen in 3 years but no doubt the argies will only get better so that pool could be just as interesting as pool A.
Posted 18:03 03rd December 2012
davodiablo says...
Pool A makes for an extremely hard fought group,possibly for the first time in a rugby WC.I'm finding it very hard to predict especially as England and Wales will have home advantage meaning Australia could very well miss out . Mouth watering stuff .
Posted 17:58 03rd December 2012
OzinLondon says...
jehosophat
"England don't tend to struggle with Australia when it matters..."
Really mate?
1987 - Aus win 19-7
1991 - Aus win 12-6
1995 - Eng win 25-22
2003 - Eng win 20-17
2007 - Eng win 12-10
So England have had MASSIVE 3, 3 and 2 point wins against Australia "when it matters". Thank God its been so easy for them.
Sometimes people need to think before typing....
I would have liked an easier draw but it was always going to happen. What price Aus v Eng as the opening game of the RWC 2013?
Posted 17:57 03rd December 2012
Michtymauler says...
Lol, Wales recent poor form has potentially knocked England out of their own tournament at the group stage!! Pressure!!!
Posted 17:52 03rd December 2012
makemehappy says...
Any English support won't be happy with that pool. Wales dropping down to pool 3 made wasn't good for those in pool 2, any of whom would have preferred Argentina or Samoa, I'm sure, based on long term results (other than the Autumn series which was a strange affair).
Posted 17:43 03rd December 2012
leebok says...
still 3 years away. Plenty of time for England to draft in a few more Saffa's, Kiwi's or Samoans into the team.
Posted 17:13 03rd December 2012
BigRugbyBalls says...
ABs get their usual bye to the quarters
Posted 17:07 03rd December 2012
jontheref says...
physiodan
Even if Scotland had dropped to 20th, they still were qualified for this next RWC.
All teams who finished at least 3rd in their group at 2011 qualified for 2015.
I think you also have a mistake in thinking England will win their group.
I think they will be lucky to get out of it!
Posted 17:05 03rd December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
If England had only beaten Oz or Boks they'd have Pool D with only 1 tough game before the quarters and France Wales and Oz and Fiji would be bashing each other up. Darn but better than an AB pool.
Posted 16:51 03rd December 2012
jehosophat says...
Happy with that - England don't tend to struggle with Australia when it matters, because Australia usually try to play us at our own game!
I have no ideal where Wales will be come the WC - they show some signs of having peaked, and lack cohesion at the moment, but there is plenty of time to sort that out.
Any team progressing from this group with realistic hopes of glory had better hope for one of the easier QF opponents or it will be a hell of a slog to the final.
Posted 16:47 03rd December 2012
NHsaints says...
Oh hell no...Fiji, Wales and Oz? Looks like somebody in the IRB is throwing a strop after England's win on saturday ;) seriously though I'll chuck in my predictions: Pool A- 1=England 2=Australia, Pool B- 1= SA 2=Samoa, Pool C- 1=Nz 2=Argies, Pool D- 1=France 2=Ireland. Other points of note: Italy are capable of an upset in D but seem a little too shaky at the minute, Same for Tonga in C (I reckon the pumas will be too good for them), Pool B is pretty much nailed on. Pool A is open for the taking, on current form Fiji don't stand a chance, Australia will only be assessable after the lions tour and Wales need a real buck in form to stand a chance (although might sneak 2nd being at homeish) and England are too hard to read at the minute, if they continue to play with the efficiency that they did on saturday then at Twickers they're nailed on to qualify.
Posted 16:47 03rd December 2012
physiodan says...
If scotland had dropped one more place in the IRB rankings would they have had to qualify through the Europe 1 route with Fiji getting their place?
Posted 16:40 03rd December 2012
scrumpoacher says...
aus have won both the WE trophies in the UK-another on the way! only joking-tough draw for us but it is a long time away...
Posted 16:24 03rd December 2012
Frooschman says...
Australia, Wales and Oceania 1, which must surely be Fiji? Well you can't say we'll be under-cooked when we get to the quarter finals! I wonder which of Wales or Australia will fail to qualify?!
Posted 16:15 03rd December 2012
physiodan says...
QF - SA v Aus, NZ v Ire, Eng v Samoa, Fra v Arg
SF - SA NZ, Eng v Fra
F SA v Eng
Heard it here first.
Posted 16:10 03rd December 2012
LondonWasp says...
ouch.....
Posted 16:07 03rd December 2012
rohan1992 says...
You can also pencil in Fiji for pool A, now that is a scary tough pool.
Posted 16:06 03rd December 2012