The top seeds in the pools for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan were decided this week but two berths in each pool are yet to be decided, although with a little educated guesswork those gaps can be filled.

Hosts Japan got probably the best draw possible for them, being pooled with Ireland from the top seeds and Scotland from the second pot. Japan have never beaten either of those sides but will fancy their chances on home turf with a fanatical following behind them.

But who else might stand in the Brave Blossoms way of securing a quarter-final place?

Romania won this year’s Rugby Europe Championship and presuming a good showing in next year’s tournament are in pole position to secure the Europe 1 place in Japan, while Tonga are the likely side to fill the “play-off winner” place having lost to both Fiji and Samoa in their opening games of the Pacific Tri-Nations.

They are likely to face the second-placed team from Europe in a play-off and neither of their likely opponents, Spain or Portugal, would be fancied to prevent Tonga heading to Japan.

England’s pool is probably the next easiest to predict, with Eddie Jones’ side pooled with France and Argentina in what is being dubbed the ‘group of death’. The other berths in the pool are Oceania 2 and Americas 1.

The United States and Canada play off this summer over two legs to decide who will be Americas 1, while Fiji and Samoa are likely to meet on 15 July to decide which of them will be Oceania 2. The odds favour England facing Samoa and the United States in what could justifiably be considered the toughest group to get out of.

Wales are in a pool with Australia and Georgia, with Fiji likely to occupy the Oceania 1 slot and Canada the probable qualifiers as Americas 2, although Uruguay will be hoping to upset the odds and book that berth if they negotiate their way past Brazil, Chile and Paraguay.

That leaves the final pool to work out, where holders New Zealand have been grouped with South Africa and Italy.

The outcome of the Rugby Africa Cup will be decided next year. This year’s event begins in June and sees Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe competing. The outcome will give a clear indication of who is likely to progress next year but we’re sticking our neck out here and predicting Kenya to upset Namibia’s plans and gain the second Africa 1 slot.

That would leave the repechage tournament to decide the holders’ final opponents, likely to come from Uruguay, Spain, Hong Kong or Namibia. Of those we’d love to see Hong Kong or Spain qualify but logic dictates either Uruguay or Namibia securing the final place in Japan.

The repechage qualifier remains to tightest call of all to make but Namibia probably get the nod, although we’d love to see the likes of the Philippines, Papua New Guinea or Brazil rock the world by booking a repechage slot and then upsetting the odds to make it to Japan.

Possible pool lineup
Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Europe 1 (Romania), play-off winner (Tonga)
Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Africa 1 (Kenya), repechage winner (Namibia)
Pool C: England, France, Argentina, Americas 1 (USA), Oceania 2 (Samoa)
Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Oceania 1 (Fiji), Americas 2 (Canada)