1
The toughest 'Pool of Death' your side could feature in ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup draw
It has been little over a year since Siya Kolisi made history by lifting the Webb Ellis Cup aloft in Yokohama as the Springboks became World Cup champions for the third time.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, preparations for rugby’s next global showpiece event kicks-off on Monday, as the draw for France 2023 is made in Paris.
Here’s everything you need to know before your nation finds out its fate for the next World Cup in just under three years’ time.
What is it?
The draw for the 2023 World Cup will determine which nations will play one another in each of the four pools at the upcoming tournament.
Where is it?
The draw will be held at Palais Brongniart, and will be hosted by ex-England and British and Irish Lions wing Ugo Monye and South African presenter Elma Smit.
When is it?
12:30pm Monday local time (GMT+1).
How does it work?
Like the last five World Cups, the 2023 event will consist of 20 nations divided into four pools of five teams.
The 12 direct qualifiers – the top three teams from each of the four pools at the 2019 World Cup – have been seeded into three bands based on where they sat on the World Rugby rankings on January 1 this year.
Seedings are usually based on where teams have been ranked at the time of the draw, but, with COVID-19 preventing some teams like South Africa and Japan from playing in 2020, World Rugby chose to readjust the seedings “in the interests of fairness”.
The four highest ranked of these 12 teams have been placed in Band 1, while the next four highest ranked sides have been put into Band 2, and the remaining four direct qualifiers are all in Band 3.
All Blacks veteran Aaron Smith and Black Ferns star Stacey Fluhler loom as the big contenders for this week's New Zealand Rugby Awards after being nominated for three awards apiece.https://t.co/GyR0gd3YbQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2020
This means that the top three bands heading into the draw looks like this (World Rugby rankings on January 1 in brackets):
ADVERTISEMENT
Band 1 – South Africa (1), New Zealand (2), England (3), Wales (4)
Band 2 – Ireland (5), Australia (6), France (7), Japan (8)
Band 3 – Scotland (9), Argentina (10), Fiji (11), Italy (12)
Had the seedings been based on current rankings, France would have moved into Band 1, while Wales would have fallen into Band 3, as would have Japan, leaving Scotland and Argentina to take the two vacant spots in Band 2.
The remaining eight sides to take part in the 2023 World Cup will be determined through the global qualification process, which begins next year and will conclude in November 2022.
These teams will be known as:
Oceania 1: The winner of an aggregate play-off series between Samoa and Tonga. The loser will play the 2021 Oceania Cup champion to advance as Oceania 2 to a cross-regional play-off with Asia 1. Likely qualifier: Samoa or Tonga.
ADVERTISEMENT
Asia/Pacific 1: The winner of an aggregate play-off series between Oceania 2 and Asia 1, the champion of the 2021 Asia Rugby Championship. The loser will advance to the Final Qualification Tournament. Likely qualifier: Samoa or Tonga.
Europe 1: The champion of the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship. Likely qualifier: Georgia.
Europe 2: The runner-up of the 2021-22 Rugby Europe Championship. The third-placed side will advance to the Final Qualification Tournament. Likely qualifier: Spain, Romania, Portugal or Russia.
Americas 1: The winner of an aggregate play-off series between the 2021 Rugby Americas North champion and the 2021 Sudamerica Rugby champion. The loser will advance to the Americas 2 play-off. Likely qualifier: USA.
Americas 2: The winner of an aggregate play-off series between the Americas 1 runner-up and the winner of an aggregate play-off series between the runners-up of 2021 Rugby Americas North and 2021 Sudamerica Rugby. The loser advances to the Final Qualification Tournament. Likely qualifier: Uruguay or Canada.
Africa 1: The champion of the 2022 Rugby Africa Cup. The runner-up advances to the Final Qualification Tournament. Likely qualifier: Namibia.
Final Qualifier: The champion of a round-robin tournament between the loser of the Asia/Pacific play-off, the third-placed Rugby Europe Championship side, the loser of the Americas 2 play-off and the Rugby Africa Cup runner-up. Likely qualifier: Third-place Rugby Europe Championship side or Americas 2 play-off loser.
Adam Jones made his debut against the 'old enemy' way back in 2003, but now the boot is on the other foot.
via @TheXV ?https://t.co/PsU30ixRl5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2020
These eight teams will be divided into Band 4 (Oceania 1, Europe 1, Americas 1 and Asia/Pacific 1) and Band 5 (Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Final Qualifier) and will be drawn alongside the 12 automatically qualified sides.
In order to ensure the strength of each pool is evenly balanced, one team will be drawn at random from each band and placed into one pool.
This means every pool will have one team from each band.
What are the best and worst outcomes for teams in each band?
Band 1
One would have to think that, given their recent form in the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup, Wales would be the preferred team to be drawn alongside for those in Bands 2 and 3.
With just four wins from their last 11 matches, which saw them plummet from fourth to ninth on the world rankings between January and December, Wayne Pivac’s side currently look far weaker than the likes of England, the All Blacks and the Springboks.
Drawing any of the other three sides would make life significantly tougher in the pool stages for the lower seeded teams.
Band 2
Of those in Band 2, the emergence of France as potential world-beaters, something they have become on the U20 scene over the past couple of seasons, makes them a threatening prospect.
Weigh in the fact that they will be playing in front of their home fans, and Les Bleus loom as a genuine force in 2023, which could have intriguing implications if they are drawn with either England, New Zealand or South Africa.
At the other end of the spectrum, it remains to be seen whether Japan can build on the historic success they enjoyed on their home soil last year.
With coaches Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown committed to the Brave Blossoms for the next three years, though, they have every chance of replicating the stunning rugby that made them quarter-finalists for the first time ever in 2019.
Maybe 2020 wasn't such a bad year for Wales after all?#RWC2023 https://t.co/eup8E65ps9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2020
The Wallabies haven’t kicked on as well as they would have liked under Dave Rennie in his first year in charge, but that could change in the coming years, while Ireland remain a work in progress following the departure of long-serving boss Joe Schmidt.
Band 3
As is the case in Band 1, there is one team in Band 3 that most sides would probably prefer to be drawn with due to their comparative weakness to those seeded alongside them, and that is Italy.
Still yet to qualify for the quarter-finals of a World Cup, the Azzurri went winless on the field throughout the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup, with their only success coming from their cancelled fixture against Fiji, which forced an automatic win.
Had they actually played the Fijians, it wouldn’t have surprised to see the Pacific Island nation come out on top considering the talent in their ranks.
If the likes of Semi Radradra, Josua Tuisova, Leone Nakarawa and Nemani Nadolo are all involved in 2023, especially with their impressive new coaching staff all at the helm, Fiji would be a dangerous team to have in any side’s pool.
The same can be said of Argentina, who proved their worth with a maiden victory over the All Blacks in this year’s Tri-Nations before drawing twice with the Wallabies.
There is also plenty to like about Scotland, but, similarly to Ireland, there is plenty of progress to be made between now and the World Cup if they are to ensure their place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015.
Band 4
Although the teams in this band are still yet to be confirmed, it’s highly likely Georgia, Samoa, Tonga and (probably) the United States will all qualify here.
Of that quartet, Georgia currently stand as the biggest threats, but it would be unwise to ignore the threat posed by Samoa and Tonga, while the Eagles continue to grow as minnow rugby force.
Band 5
Likewise, nobody yet knows which nations will fill out the spots in Band 5, but the safe money would have to go on Namibia, Uruguay and any two of Canada, Spain, Russia, Romania and Portugal.
He may not play again until he is 29. https://t.co/GhNLkBZCSS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2020
In all likelihood, none of those teams are going to pose any trouble for any of the top sides, but, strictly on the basis of their shock win over Fiji at last year’s World Cup, Uruguay might be considered the strongest of the lot.
Possible ‘Pool of Death’
South Africa/England/New Zealand
France
Argentina/Scotland/Fiji
Georgia
Uruguay
Possible Easiest Pool
Wales
Japan
Italy
USA
Namibia
Comments on RugbyPass
We will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
14 Go to comments