The next tournament will be held in France and the hosts will face New Zealand in a blockbuster opening match in Saint-Denis.
Chile, Portugal and Tonga are the latest teams to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The finals work the same way as the 2019 tournament with the first two teams in each pool progressing to the quarter-finals, which will be contested by knock-out matches.
If we suppose the top-ranked teams each win their pools and the second-ranked teams finish runners-up then the quarter-finals in 2023 could look something like this…
As a result of the ‘kind’ draw, former boss Sir Clive Woodward has backed England to reach the semi-final.
He wrote in his column for the Mail Online: “Realistically, England will have to beat Argentina to top their pool and then either Australia or Wales to reach a semi-final.
“That is eminently achievable. However, to do so England need to get their star players back to their best. That did not happen in the Six Nations.”
QUARTER-FINALS
Australia vs Argentina
South Africa vs France
England vs Wales
New Zealand vs Ireland
The 2023 tournament will take place between 8 September and 21 October 2023.
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “The draw is a key milestone on the journey to Rugby World Cup France 2023, and the time when the tournament truly comes to life for teams and players alike.
“It enables key operational elements to be undertaken such as venue allocation, optimal match schedule development and the ticketing programme.”
FULL 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP DRAW:
POOL A
- New Zealand
- France
- Italy
- Uruguay
- Namibia
POOL A FIXTURES:
Sep 8: France vs New Zealand (Pool A) – Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Sep 9: Italy vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint-Etienne
Sep 14: France vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
Sep 15: New Zealand vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Sep 20: Italy vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Stade de Nice, Nice
Sep 21: France vs Namibia (Pool A) – Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Sep 27: Uruguay vs Namibia (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
Sep 29: New Zealand vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
Oct 5: New Zealand vs Uruguay (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
Oct 6: France vs Italy (Pool A) – Parc OL, Lyon
CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO
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