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
latin says...
well said drffter! and armchairgeneral too!
i think we have to agree that before SA competed in WCs it was really just a watered down version. In 1987 and 1991 SA's absence meant a far less contested tournament. Nevertheless, i think its still fine, sport cant wait for politics to catch up so the results should stand.
as for the RWC pool of death. Its a long way out, but watch Aus crash out in the first round and wales and england go through. Wouldnt that be hilarious.
Posted 07:07 07th December 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
I prefer a tough pool. Even if you lose a match and come second, I'll take that over topping an easy pool. Look at England V Australia in 2007. Wales v England in 2003, England vs France 2011. The table toppers know they're in a game vs some battle hardened hombres.
Posted 10:06 06th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
OzinLondon: England are very economical in their victories. We're a bit embarrassed about our extravagance vs the ABs but we will be sure to clamp down on that. Thankfully ABs didn't watch Barnes's intelligent handling of England rush defence despite their extra sick day off training.
Posted 10:00 05th December 2012
objetive says...
How ismeeting either Eng (at Twickenham) or Aus in the quarters, and then NZ in the semis, a "good" draw for SA? It is short0sighted and inaccurate in the extreme to look solely at the pool games (from which any decent nation always emerges anyway) to assess a team's draw. Its the business end that counts, and in particular whether a team encounters one of the big SH 3 early on.
Posted 07:57 05th December 2012
cuw3100 says...
Trinats2 says... "The UK is an away fixture for Ireland (not part of the UK) as much as it is for France."
"" The British Isles are divided between two countries which are independent states in international law, namely 1) the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (so called since 1927) and 2) the Republic of Ireland. Unlike the states of the USA or Germany, or the provinces of Canada, the constituent parts of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) do not have legislatures with their own areas of exclusive jurisdiction, and England has no legislature at all.
It is not possible to have a federation without a constitution prescribing the powers of the different levels of government, and the UK has no such instrument. The primary principle of constitutional law is that the UK Parliament can do anything. The legislation which created the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies carefully reserved power to the UK Parliament to legislate in all matters. The powers of the subordinate legislatures are devolved powers. So the UK is not a federation; it is a unitary state.
England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have all been regarded for centuries as nations, and are still correctly referred to as such. This has nothing to do with legal status. England, Scotland and Ireland all were once Kingdoms, but no longer are (since 1707 in the case of England and Scotland, 1800 in the case of Ireland). Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality, and is sometimes still referred to as such.""
Posted 03:35 05th December 2012
Waz4before says...
Trinats2 - nice try! The last time you beat England at twickenham "with your second string side" you struggled against a side with a fraction of the caps and average age of your side
Posted 20:56 04th December 2012
JayStarr says...
@ APV1 - I don't wanna ! :P
Posted 19:20 04th December 2012
APV1 says...
@ JayStarr - behave.
Posted 17:46 04th December 2012
kybone says...
Its this kind of WC draw which was the reason that i didn't get caught up in the race for world ranking positions during november. I mean sure, the draw has been unkind to Wales which is just deserts for finishing in the third pot of teams, but what about Australia? They fight to get into the top seeds and end up in a pool where the third best team are 6N Grand Slam Champs and WC semifinalists.
Posted 17:37 04th December 2012
driffter1976 says...
Three years is an eternity in Rugby. Think back to 1988 and how invincible the AB's were. Now if the 1991 draw had been made in 88, nobody would have been thinking how tired the AB's would have been three years later. That's why making calculations about 2015 are pointless. By then the AB's could have degenerated back to an average side, while SA or the Wallabies might have reached their stride. Why Rugby can't hold their WC draw like football about six months out I have no clue. It would make more sense and at least provide a bit of intrigue. Surely also the days of all these teams not having to qualify needs to be eliminated. The only sides that should get entry are the holders and hosts. Make it a level playing field, even if the same boring teams qualify.
Posted 14:54 04th December 2012
OzinLondon says...
Armchair
Whatever you say buddy. I'd say England and Aus have always had very close hard fought matches in RWC history... but leave it to a couple of Englishmen to denigrate the opposition after the fact (sort of like when your ex-players trot out before every tournament to tell us how they should have won the RWC in 1991/1995/1999/2007 but ...")
I thoroughly enjoyed Australia's MASSIVE 6 point win against England a few weeks ago. A walk in the park. Like a training run really.
Posted 14:09 04th December 2012
melkdave says...
Alot of posters asking why the draw is now ,mainly its at the request from the unions.They have to scout a suitable base for the teams,,and do a myriad of logistics planning b4 now and the start.Myself i would have prefered it to take place next year,when all the nations are known,and all the stadia,The millienum imo shouldnt be used at all ,its a England only RWC ,and it isnt as if we havent got alot of good stadia thoughout the country.I see no reason why Bristol citys ground couldnt be used in the west of England ,along with Kingsholm and SixwaysAlso as for the welsh wanting the game against England or Austraia in Cardiff ,NO CHANCE ,it will be in the London area where you would expect the group/pool with England in to be possibly Wembly or at a football stadium like Emerites ect.
Posted 14:03 04th December 2012
JayStarr says...
@ jontheref: Sorry, I only count World Cups in which the Springboks took part as "World" Cups... :P
Posted 13:15 04th December 2012
Ramage says...
England to schedule their Wales game in 2015 RWC in Cardiff. Yeah and pigs will fly. Come on people why on earth would they want that. If I was Incharge I would schedule the Blacks to play in the West of England and Cardiff then schedule a NZ/French play off in Cardiif and make sure Wayne, I love myself, Barnes was the referee. Still by that time Barnes too will have left the building.
Posted 11:46 04th December 2012
BradS says...
All this means nothing!
It only takes one top tier nation to drop a game and the whole draw flips around
e.g. France in 2007 (courtesy of David Skrela's dodgy kicking, basically gifted RSA the easiest path to a WC ever taken)
Posted 11:42 04th December 2012
ben7 says...
SA have a good chance. They always play badly in the NH apart from when theyre in England or wales if you go by past results. I would love to see england and wales go through and aus go out before the quarters!!!! It wont happen but it would be hilarious
Posted 11:31 04th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
I think the winner of Pool A will be the team that develops a rotational squad somewhat like the ABs as they toured this year to keep fresh (although the ABs made the mistake of thinking Wales was the key game probably due to Hansen wanting to remove Gatland as a rival). Contrary to myth Oz are showing they have great strength in depth. It's so far off... Top of world rankings will win it... I think that may be Oz or Eng but you have to make ABs favourite with a few changes to the old guard coming in in 2013.
Posted 10:50 04th December 2012
sirtidychris says...
Hopefully as Wales are a third tier nation the IRB will give them only 3 days rest between matches in line with the 2011 RWC policy, while England and the ozzies will get 5/6 days.
Posted 10:48 04th December 2012
ATG77 says...
I feel for Wales... they must be really kicking themselves for captulating so badly in the Autumn.
Posted 10:44 04th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
@tuffnut: a reliable way to a loss in the final.
Posted 10:37 04th December 2012