2015 RWC Pool Placings
November 18, 2012 in Uncategorized
The top four teams consolidated their positions at the top of the IRB rankings and the RWC pools over the weekend but there are still a lot of rugby left before the draw is made on 3 December. Positions 5 to 10 are in a state of flux and good wins or bad losses by any of these teams could see the picture change substantially.
With France and Scotland expected to beat Samoa and Tonga this weekend the crunch matches are
Ireland vs Argentina
England vs South Africa
Ireland and Argentina both need to win to consolidate their position in the next four while, ironically, England need to lose to take themselves out of the dreaded #5 spot which places them in the same pool as the All Blacks.
Wales is in serious danger of slipping further down the rankings even though a loss to the All Blacks won’t change their ranking points a good win by Scotland (more that 15 points) over Tonga will see Scotland overtaking them.
IRB Rankings after 18 November:
| Pos 18 Nov | Team | 18-Nov* |
| 1 | NEW ZEALAND | 92.91 |
| 2 | SOUTH AFRICA | 86.05 |
| 3 | AUSTRALIA | 85.95 |
| 4 | FRANCE | 84.99 |
| 5 | ENGLAND | 81.96 |
| 6 | ARGENTINA | 79.88 |
| 7 | IRELAND | 79.03 |
| 8 | WALES | 78.95 |
| 9 | SAMOA | 78.79 |
| 10 | SCOTLAND | 77.42 |
| 11 | ITALY | 76.61 |
| 12 | TONGA | 74.66 |
* The points are unofficial and will only be finalised on Monday, 19 November.
RWC Pool positions after 18 November:
Pool 1 is set to be the pool of death with possibly NZ, England and Wales in it.
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
| NEW ZEALAND | SOUTH AFRICA | AUSTRALIA | FRANCE |
| ENGLAND | ARGENTINA | IRELAND | WALES |
| SAMOA | SCOTLAND | ITALY | TONGA |
Remaining fixtures:
Sat – 24 Nov 2012
Ireland vs Argentina
England vs South Africa
Scotland vs Tonga
France vs Samoa
Wales vs New Zealand
Italy vs Australia
Sat – 1 Dec 2012
Wales vs Australia
England vs New Zealand
Hendrik said on November 18, 2012
Pools are drawn randomly. A team in the top 4 can be drawn alongside anyone from 5-8 and so forth.
Baylion said on November 18, 2012
The top 12 teams are seeded as per their IRB rankings on 3 Dec. The rest have to qualify in their zones.
fjpedro611 said on November 18, 2012
will there be a fourth team per pool? and why wouldn’t you want to be in the same pool with the all blacks? barring the traditional thought that to win the RWC you need to win all your matches. it means you would play them early and only have to meet them again in the final. not so dreaded if you ask me.
Baylion said on November 18, 2012
Each pool will have 5 teams. The top three per pool pre-qualified in the last RWC, the next two have to qualify in pools from the Americas, Asia, Africa, etc.