Just two places at Rugby World Cup 2019 remain to be decided, with five teams still in contention for the final berths in next year’s competition in Japan. One of those places will be decided next month in Windhoek when the final round of the Rugby Africa Championship sees Namibia and Kenya going head-to-head on…
Three tries in the last 11 minutes confirmed Samoa a place in Rugby World Cup 2019 with a 42-28 second-leg victory over Germany in Heidelberg. The visitors had virtually assured their place in Pool A with their 66-15 first-leg win in Apia but an unlikely defeat looked on the cards when the hosts took a…
Russia have qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after Romania, Spain and Belgium were docked points for repeatedly using ineligible players during the European qualifying series. Romania had appeared to be heading to Japan after topping the competition but in a final twist to a complicated and controversial qualification process an investigation by an…
Uruguay’s 32-31 victory in the second leg of their play-off against Canada earned the South Americans a 70-60 aggregate win that booked them a fourth Rugby World Cup appearance next year in Japan. Los Teros will now join Australia, Wales, Georgia and Fiji in Pool D, following qualification in 1999, 2003 and 2015, while Canada…
The first complete pool of the 2019 Rugby World Cup was decided at the weekend when Fiji’s 38-16 win over Samoa in Apia saw them crowned 2017 Pacific Nations Cup champions and sent Tonga through to the finals as Oceania’s second qualifier. Tonga’s passage to Japan completed the line-up for Pool C, which also contains…
Fiji play Samoa this weekend safe in the knowledge they have already qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after opening their Pacific Nations Cup 2017 with a win against Tonga last weekend. After two wins in the 2016 Pacific Nations Cup, Fiji’s 14-10 victory against Tonga, following Samoa’s 30-26 defeat against Tonga the previous…
It seems the tides are changing in North American rugby, with the United States grabbing the Americas 1 spot at the 2019 Rugby World Cup with a 52-16 drubbing of neighbours Canada, who now have to battle it out with Uruguay for the Americas 2 spot. It was a landmark win for the United States…
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…
This weekend the focus of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup shifts to Asia and South America. On Sunday Malaysia take on the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka face the Philippines in the first round of a tournament that will reward the winner with a place in next year’s Asia Rugby Championship. With…
Japan coach Jamie Joseph will have been delighted after a good 2019 Rugby World Cup pool draw saw the hosts miss the southern hemisphere big guns of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Japan will face Ireland and Scotland; plus Europe 1, likely to be Romania; as well as the winner of the play-off between…
