At a slick and quick function in London attended by Bok coach Heyneke Meyer, the RWC 2015 pool draw was MC’d by Will Greenwood in a horrific tie, and the IRB performers of the year were announced …
IRB player of the year – Dan Carter
IRB coach of the year – Steve Hansen
IRB team of the year – All Blacks
The RWC 2015 pools:
POOL A
Australia
England
Wales
Oceania 1
Playoff 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
Samoa and South Africa being drawn in the same pool for the 4th time seems to have got a few people in a tizz, but the draw looked fair and square to me, and while damn physical, it’s not a draw that Heyneke Meyer will be too worried about … The Pool A draw means that one of Australia, England or Wales will definitely not be making the business end of the tournament …
The knockout phase structure will be the same as previous Rugby World Cups:
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
So if the Boks and All Blacks head their pools and win their quarter finals, they will meet in the semi finals … A sneaky loss to Scotland or Samoa for the Boks could see them ease into the other (and perhaps easier) half of the draw as the runners up in the pool. Either way, it looks like England or Australia in the quarter final …
The IRB on why the Pool Allocation Draw takes place three years out
The Rugby World Cup Pool Allocation Draw is a central element of planning and preparation for one of the world’s largest sporting events, triggering venue selection and match schedule development along with the ticketing strategy that will see 2.9 million opportunities for fans the length and breadth of the country and around the world to attend matches.
As for Rugby World Cup 2011, the 2015 draw is taking place three years out from the event for a number of critical logistical and preparation reasons that will ensure the successful delivery of the eighth Rugby World Cup.
With the ticketing programme being launched in 2013, the draw needs to take place beforehand to identify the big fixtures and ensure the best-possible alignment of venues to fixtures to enable fans to access the teams they support and meet demand.
The longer-lead in time also creates certainty for all teams (including those still to qualify) as they will know detailed logistics to enhance preparation, including travel, accommodation and selection of team base camps.
