| Japanese:ラグビーワールドカップ2019 | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host nation |  Japan |
| Dates | 20 September – 2 November |
| No. of nations | 20 (97 qualifying) |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |  South Africa (3rd title) |
Runner-up  |  England |
Third place  |  New Zealand |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 45 |
| Attendance | 1,698,528 (37,745 per match) |
| Tries scored | 285 (average 6.33 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Handré Pollard (69) |
| Most tries |  Josh Adams (7) |
| Points scored | 2,196 (average 48.8 per match) |
←2015 2023 → | |
The2019 Rugby World Cup (Japanese:ラグビーワールドカップ2019) was the ninth edition of theRugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men'srugby union teams. It was hosted inJapan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match was played atAjinomoto Stadium inChōfu, Tokyo, with the final match being held atInternational Stadium Yokohama inYokohama. This was the first time that the tournament had taken place in Asia and outside the traditionalTier 1 rugby nations.
The tournament saw the first cancellation of matches at the Rugby World Cup withTyphoon Hagibis affecting three matches due to the expected impact on safety that the typhoon would have.
South Africa beatEngland 32−12 in thefinal to claim their third title, equallingNew Zealand's record. In doing so, South Africa became the first team to win the title after losing a match in the pool stage. The defending champions, New Zealand, finished third after defeatingWales in the bronze final.
TheInternational Rugby Board (IRB) requested that any members wishing to host the2015 Rugby World Cup and/or the 2019 event should indicate their interest by 15 August 2008, though no details had to be provided at that stage. A record 10 unions responded, with the 2019 tournament of interest to nine nations.[1]Russia initially announced plans to bid for both events, but withdrew both in February 2009 in favour of what proved to be a successful bid for the2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.[2][3]Australia withdrew from the bidding process on 6 May 2009.[4]
The three potential hosts – Italy, Japan and South Africa – were announced on 8 May 2009.[5] At a special meeting held inDublin on 28 July 2009, the IRB confirmed that England would be hosts in 2015 and Japan in 2019, with the approval of the tournament organisers Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWC Ltd), going in favour 16–10.[6]
The IRB (which was renamed World Rugby in November 2014), RWC Ltd, theJapan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) and host organisers Japan 2019 went through a process of asking for expressions of interest and meeting with and explaining game hosting requirements to interested parties from late 2013. In May 2014, it was announced that 22 municipal and prefectural organisations across Japan had expressed interest. Those organisations were asked to enter formal bids by 31 October 2014. On 5 November, organisers announced that 14 bids had been received.Hong Kong andSingapore had expressed interest in hosting some of the matches and were included in Japan's bid,[7] but were not among the 14stadiums announced in 2014. Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, venue for the2002 FIFA World Cup Final andNiigata'sDenka Big Swan Stadium, also a World Cup venue, decided not to bid.
Several changes to the venues submitted in the JRFU's original 2009 bid were made. The JRFU's ownChichibunomiya Stadium inTokyo, suitable for smaller interest games in the capital, was not included in the plan. The JRFU selected the larger and more modern 50,000-seatNagai multi-purpose stadium as its preferred venue for games inOsaka, thoughEast Osaka City, which had taken over theHanazono Rugby Stadium from long-time corporate ownersKintetsu in April 2015, submitted a joint bid with Osaka Municipality, intending to refurbish the stadium.Kamaishi,Hamamatsu,Kyoto,Ōita,Nagasaki andKumamoto were also not part of the JRFU's bid. While the bids included venues from a broad area of Japan, two areas were not involved in hosting: Hokushin'etsu (Hokuriku andKōshin'etsu regions), which includes the city of Niigata; and theChūgoku region, which includesHiroshima and the nearby island ofShikoku. No city in Chūgoku hosted games at the2002 FIFA World Cup, but Hiroshima did host games in the2006 FIBA World Championship.[citation needed]
Thenew National Stadium in Tokyo being constructed for the2020 Summer Olympics was expected to be the primary venue of the tournament. However, the original plans were scrapped and rebid in 2015 due to criticism over its design and increasing costs. As a consequence, it would no longer be completed in time.[8] The fixtures assigned to the stadium were re-located, with the opening match moved to Ajinomoto Stadium and the final moved to Nissan Stadium inYokohama.[9]
| Yokohama | Hamamatsu (Fukuroi) | Tokyo (Chōfu) | Nagoya (Toyota City) | Sapporo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Stadium Yokohama | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa | Tokyo Stadium | City of Toyota Stadium | Sapporo Dome |
| Capacity:72,327 | Capacity:50,889 | Capacity:49,970 | Capacity:45,000 | Capacity:41,410 |
 |  |  | .jpg) |  |
| Ōita | Kobe | |||
| Oita Stadium | Kobe Misaki Stadium | |||
| Capacity:40,000 | Capacity:30,132 | |||
 |  | |||
| Osaka (Higashiosaka) | Kumamoto | Kumagaya | Fukuoka | Kamaishi |
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium | Kumamoto Stadium | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium | Fukuoka Hakatanom ori Stadium | Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium |
| Capacity:24,100 | Capacity:32,000 | Capacity:24,000 | Capacity:20,049 | Capacity:16,020 |
 |  |  |  |  |
The top three teams from the pools at the 2015 World Cup received an automatic spot, with the remaining eight teams coming from the qualifying series around the world. Six of the remaining eight spots available were filled by regional qualifiers with the additional two spots being filled inplay-off. Qualifying was split into five regional groups;Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe andOceania.[10]
On 1 July 2017, theUnited States became the first team to qualify after defeatingCanada in the two-leg match to qualify as America 1.[11] The following two weeks saw Fiji andTonga booking their spots as Oceania 1 and 2 respectively.[12]Samoa later confirmed their spot as the third Oceanic team with a win overGermany in a two-legged tie the following year.[13] In January 2018,Uruguay became the fourth team to qualify with a 10-point victory overCanada across the two legs to book a spot as Americas 2.[14]
In March,Romania initially qualified to take the spot as Europe 1.[15] But after complaints from the Spanish into an investigation of ineligible players, it was deemed that Romania,Spain andBelgium all broke the eligibility rules and were deducted points which meant Russia qualified for the World Cup while Germany headed to the play-off against Samoa.[16] In August,Namibia became the final team to qualify from the continental tournaments after defeatingKenya in the final round of theRugby Africa Gold Cup.[17] The final spot was decided by arepechage tournament inMarseille in November 2018, which was won by Canada after winning all three of their games.[18]
| Region | Team | Qualification method | Previous Apps | Previous best result | World Ranking1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | South Africa | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 6 | Champions(1995, 2007) | 4 |
 Namibia | Africa 1 | 5 | Pool stage | 23 | |
| Americas North |  United States | Americas 1 | 7 | Pool stage | 13 |
 Canada | Final Qualifier | 7 | Quarter-finals | 22 | |
| Asia | Japan | Hosts | 8 | Pool stage | 10 |
| Europe | England | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Champions(2003) | 3 |
 France | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Runners-up(1987, 1999, 2011) | 8 | |
 Georgia | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 4 | Pool stage | 12 | |
 Ireland | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Quarter-finals(six times) | 1 | |
 Italy | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Pool stage | 14 | |
 Russia | Europe 1 | 1 | Pool stage | 20 | |
 Scotland | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Fourth place(1991) | 7 | |
| Wales | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Third place(1987) | 5 | |
| Oceania |  Australia | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Champions(1991, 1999) | 6 |
 Fiji | Oceania 1 | 7 | Quarter-finals(1987, 2007) | 9 | |
| New Zealand | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Champions(1987, 2011, 2015) | 2 | |
 Samoa | Play-off winner | 7 | Quarter-finals(1991, 1995) | 16 | |
 Tonga | Oceania 2 | 7 | Pool stage | 15 | |
| Sudamérica |  Argentina | Top 3 in 2015 RWC pool | 8 | Third place(2007) | 11 |
 Uruguay | Americas 2 | 3 | Pool stage | 19 |
The pool draw took place[19] on 10 May 2017, in Kyoto.[20] The draw was moved from its traditional place of December in the year following the previous World Cup, after the November internationals, so that nations had a longer period of time to increase their world rankings ahead of the draw.[21]
The seeding system from previous Rugby World Cups was retained with the 12 automatic qualifiers from 2015 being allocated to their respective bands based on theirWorld Rugby Rankings on the day of the draw:
The remaining two bands were made up of the eight qualifying teams, with allocation to each band being based on the previous Rugby World Cup playing strength:
This meant the 20 teams, qualified and qualifiers, were seeded thus (world ranking as of 10 May 2017):
| Band 1 | Band 2 | Band 3 | Band 4 | Band 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
The draw saw a representative randomly draw a ball from a pot; the first drawn ball went to Pool A, the second Pool B, the third Pool C and the fourth Pool D.
Each team submitted a squad of 31 players for the tournament, the same as the 2015 tournament. These squads were to be submitted to World Rugby with the deadline being 8 September with the United States being the last team to reveal their squad on 6 September.[22][23]
World Rugby named the following 12 referees, seven assistant referees and four television match officials to handle the 48 matches:[24]
|
|
The opening ceremony took place atAjinomoto Stadium in Tokyo on 20 September 2019 at 18:30 (JST).[25] The ceremony featured a showcase of traditional and modernJapanese culture, as well as the culture of rugby union, and told the story of the evolution of rugby union in Japan.[26]New Zealand'sRichie McCaw, who captained the All Blacks to the World Cup title in2015, performed a ceremonial handover of theWebb Ellis Cup.[27] Six jet aircraft of theJapan Air Self-Defense Force'sBlue Impulse aerobatic team flew over the stadium.[28] Kiyoe Yoshioka of Japanese pop-rock bandIkimono-gakari sangWorld in Union, the official song of the Rugby World Cup.[29] The tournament was officially declared open byFumihito, Prince Akishino of Japan; both he andWorld Rugby chairmanSir Bill Beaumont gave speeches at the end of the ceremony, with Beaumont saying:[30]
"Over the next six weeks we will experience the very best of rugby and the very best of Japan as excitement sweeps this great nation. I know Japan will be the most welcoming of hosts, you are the best. The waiting is over and the stage is set. It’s now over to the teams and the fans to make this the best World Cup ever."
The 20 teams are divided into four pools of five teams. Each pool is asingle round-robin of 10 games, in which each team plays one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. Teams are awarded four league points for a win, two for a draw and none for a defeat. A team scoring fourtries in a match is awarded a bonus point, as is a team that loses by seven points or fewer – both bonus points are awarded if both situations apply. The teams finishing in the top two of each pool advance to the quarter-finals.[31] The top three teams of each pool received automatic qualification to the2023 Rugby World Cup.
If two or more teams are tied on match points, the following tiebreakers apply:
If three teams were tied on points, the above criteria would be used to decide first place in the pool and then the criteria would be used again (starting from criterion 1) to decide second place in the pool.[31]
| Key to colours in pool tables | |
|---|---|
| Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the2023 Men's Rugby World Cup | |
| Eliminated but qualified for 2023 Men's Rugby World Cup | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 62 | +53 | 13 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 121 | 27 | +94 | 18 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Scotland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 119 | 55 | +64 | 16 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Samoa | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 128 | −70 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Russia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 160 | −141 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
The opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup was played in Pool A withJapan scoring a 30–10 win overRussia.Kotaro Matsushima became the first Japanese player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup. For the Russian side,Kirill Golosnitsky scored the first try of the tournament after four minutes – the fastest try ever scored in the opening match of a World Cup.[32] Two days later,Ireland defeatedScotland 27–3.[33] On 24 September,Samoa played their first match against Russia inKumagaya, and Samoa went on to win 34–9.[34] Four days later, hosts Japan defeated Ireland 19–12, scoring four out of six penalties. While it was an upset win for Japan,World Rugby later admitted three of the four offside penalties were incorrectly awarded to Japan.[35][36]Kenki Fukuoka scored a try in the 58th minute to give Japan a two-point lead after Ireland'sGarry Ringrose andRob Kearney had scored the opening two tries.Yu Tamura's conversion and fourth successful penalty kick sealed the result for Japan.[37] Scotland recorded their first victory of the World Cup with a 34–0 whitewash victory over Samoa in muggy conditions inKobe, with Samoan captainJack Lam stating that the rugby ball was "a bar of soap."[38]
Three days later,Kobe Misaki Stadium held another match in Pool A – this time it was Ireland, who whitewashed their opponents (Russia) in a 35–0 victory with five different players getting tries for the Irish. The Irish though, did not have everything go right withJordi Murphy being subbed off in the 27th minute due to a possible rib injury, which added to the Irish back row pain after losingJack Conan earlier in the tournament.[39] Japan recorded their third victory over Samoa inToyota with a 85th minute try fromKotaro Matsushima sealing the Japanese a 38–19 bonus point victory.[40] Russia in the final match of the tournament was hammered by Scotland 61–0 withGeorge Horne scoring a hat-trick as the Scots became the first team in World Cup history to not concede a point from two consecutive World Cup matches.[41] A red card toBundee Aki in the 29th minute forced Ireland to go down to 14 men but that was the only blemish with Ireland winning 47–5 over Samoa inFukuoka.Johnny Sexton scoring two tries for the Irish.[42] The typhoon saw the Japan–Scotland match under threat with theScottish Rugby Union demanding legal action if it was cancelled.[43] But after an inspection deemed the match to go ahead,[44] Japan held their nerve against a fast-finishing Scotland to take home a 28–21 victory with Kenki Fukuoka scoring two tries. The win saw Japan become the firstTier 2 team to qualify since2007, as they topped the group while Ireland finished in second place.[45]
| 20 September 2019 | Japan | 30–10 | Russia | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu |
| 22 September 2019 | Ireland | 27–3 | Scotland | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama |
| 24 September 2019 | Russia | 9–34 | Samoa | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium,Kumagaya |
| 28 September 2019 | Japan | 19–12 | Ireland | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa,Fukuroi |
| 30 September 2019 | Scotland | 34–0 | Samoa | Kobe Misaki Stadium,Kobe |
| 3 October 2019 | Ireland | 35–0 | Russia | Kobe Misaki Stadium,Kobe |
| 5 October 2019 | Japan | 38–19 | Samoa | City of Toyota Stadium,Toyota |
| 9 October 2019 | Scotland | 61–0 | Russia | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa,Fukuroi |
| 12 October 2019 | Ireland | 47–5 | Samoa | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium,Fukuoka |
| 13 October 2019 | Japan | 28–21 | Scotland | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 157 | 22 | +135 | 22 | 2 | 16 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 36 | +149 | 27 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 78 | +20 | 14 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Namibia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 175 | −141 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Canada | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 177 | −163 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Pool B started withNew Zealand beatingSouth Africa 23–13. New Zealand opened their scoring with two tries in four minutes fromGeorge Bridge andScott Barrett giving New Zealand a 17–3 lead at half-time.Pieter-Steph du Toit scored a converted try to bring the score back to 17–10 but two penalties fromRichie Mo'unga andBeauden Barrett sealed the result.[46] InHigashiōsaka,Italy conceded an early try againstNamibia before running away with a bonus-point victory by 25 points.[47] Italy earned a second bonus-point victory in Fukuoka, scoring seven tries in a 48–7 demolition ofCanada.[48] Over in Toyota, South Africa defeated Namibia by 54 points, scoring nine tries while Namibia could manage only aCliven Loubser penalty in the 23rd minute.[49] New Zealand recorded their second victory of the World Cup with a 63–0 victory over Canada atŌita Stadium. For New Zealand,Brad Weber scored his first two tries in international rugby with the Barrett brothers (Jordie Barrett,Beauden Barrett andScott Barrett) each scoring a try as they became the first trio of brothers to start for New Zealand.[50]
New Zealand continued their demolition of their opponents with a 62-point win over Namibia inChōfu, with the floodgates opening in the second half after Namibia restricted the All Blacks to 24 points in the first half.Sevu Reece,Ben Smith andAnton Lienert-Brown scoring two tries in the match.[51] Between the two New Zealand games, South Africa romped over Italy withCheslin Kolbe scoring two tries as the South Africans won 49–3 inFukuroi.[52] This was followed by a 66–7 victory over Canada withCobus Reinach scoring the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, with his three tries being scored in a space of 11 minutes.[53] The final two matches of the group were not played asTyphoon Hagibis saw the cancellation of the New Zealand–Italy and Namibia–Canada matches.[54][55] At the end of the pool stage, New Zealand finished on top of the table with South Africa finishing second.[56]
| 21 September 2019 | New Zealand | 23–13 | South Africa | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama |
| 22 September 2019 | Italy | 47–22 | Namibia | Hanazono Rugby Stadium,Higashiōsaka |
| 26 September 2019 | Italy | 48–7 | Canada | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium,Fukuoka |
| 28 September 2019 | South Africa | 57–3 | Namibia | City of Toyota Stadium,Toyota |
| 2 October 2019 | New Zealand | 63–0 | Canada | Ōita Stadium,Ōita |
| 4 October 2019 | South Africa | 49–3 | Italy | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa,Fukuroi |
| 6 October 2019 | New Zealand | 71–9 | Namibia | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu |
| 8 October 2019 | South Africa | 66–7 | Canada | Kobe Misaki Stadium,Kobe |
| 12 October 2019 | New Zealand | 0–01 | Italy | City of Toyota Stadium,Toyota |
| 13 October 2019 | Namibia | 0–02 | Canada | Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium,Kamaishi |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 20 | +99 | 17 | 3 | 17 |
| 2 | France | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 51 | +28 | 9 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Argentina | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 106 | 91 | +15 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Tonga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 67 | 105 | −38 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | United States | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 52 | 156 | −104 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Pool C's opening match sawArgentina come back from a 17-point half-time deficit againstFrance atTokyo Stadium, only for France'sCamille Lopez to score a game-winningdrop goal in the 70th minute to win 23–21.[57] InSapporo, two tries fromManu Tuilagi helpedEngland to a bonus-point victory overTonga.[58] England followed that up with a 38-point victory over theUnited States, withJoe Cokanasiga scoring two tries in the victory; however, the match was soured by the first red card of the tournament, shown to the United States'John Quill for a shoulder charge to the head of England'sOwen Farrell.[59] Argentina bounced back from their defeat by France with a 28–12 victory over Tonga in Higashiōsaka; all of Argentina's scoring happened in the first 28 minutes, including a hat-trick fromJulián Montoya as they raced to a 28-point lead before Tonga brought the margin back to 16 with two tries of their own.[60] AfterTyphoon Mitag almost cancelled the match,[61] the French were inconsistent with errors keeping the United States in the match before three late tries in the second half secured a 33–9 win in Fukuoka.[62]
In Chōfu, England qualified for the quarter-finals with a 39–10 victory over Argentina with Argentine playerTomás Lavanini being shown a red card, which forced Argentina down to 14 men as he was forced off due to a high tackle on Owen Farrell's head.[63] France later joined them in qualifying for the knockout stage with a two-point victory over Tonga atKumamoto Stadium. After conceding the first 17 points of the match, Tonga came back into the match with tries fromSonatane Takulua andMali Hingano to close the gap to only three points beforeRomain Ntamack gave the cushion that France needed with two penalties in eight minutes giving France the victory.[64] Argentina became the first team to finish their matches of the 2019 World Cup, with a 47–17 victory over the United States in Kumagaya.Joaquín Tuculet andJuan Cruz Mallia each scored two tries in the meeting, their first since 2003.[65] After the England–France game was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis,[54] Tonga ended their World Cup campaign with a 31–19 victory over the United States. This was due to the Tongan's using their opportunities with them converting into tries and despite the United States being within striking range with three minutes to go,Telusa Veainu converted the match-winning try and a bonus-point victory for Tonga.[66] At the end of the pool stage, it was England winning the group with France finishing in second place.[56]
| 21 September 2019 | France | 23–21 | Argentina | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu |
| 22 September 2019 | England | 35–3 | Tonga | Sapporo Dome,Sapporo |
| 26 September 2019 | England | 45–7 | United States | Kobe Misaki Stadium,Kobe |
| 28 September 2019 | Argentina | 28–12 | Tonga | Hanazono Rugby Stadium,Higashiōsaka |
| 2 October 2019 | France | 33–9 | United States | Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium,Fukuoka |
| 5 October 2019 | England | 39–10 | Argentina | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu |
| 6 October 2019 | France | 23–21 | Tonga | Kumamoto Stadium,Kumamoto |
| 9 October 2019 | Argentina | 47–17 | United States | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium,Kumagaya |
| 12 October 2019 | England | 0–01 | France | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama |
| 13 October 2019 | United States | 19–31 | Tonga | Hanazono Rugby Stadium,Higashiōsaka |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 69 | +67 | 17 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | Australia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 136 | 68 | +68 | 20 | 4 | 16 |
| 3 | Fiji | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 110 | 108 | +2 | 17 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Georgia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 122 | −57 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 140 | −80 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
Pool D opened withAustralia beatingFiji by 18 points in Sapporo after Fiji led by two points at half-time. Australia scored four tries in the second half for the bonus point.[67]Wales beatGeorgia 43–14 atCity of Toyota Stadium, after leading 29–0 at half-time and 22–0 after three tries in the first 19 minutes.[68] InKamaishi, Fiji scored the opening try againstUruguay. Two mistakes within eight minutes gave Teros the lead before a try fromJuan Manuel Cat enhanced it to 12 points at half-time. Three Fijian tries in the second half were to no avail as two penalty goals fromFelipe Berchesi gave Uruguay their first win in a World Cup since2003.[69] In Kumagaya on 29 September, Georgia recorded a 33–7 win over Uruguay. Dominant work by their forwards in the second half laid the foundation for the bonus-point victory.[70] Over in Chōfu,Dan Biggar scored the fastestdrop goal in World Cup history as Wales led 23–8 at the half. Two second-half tries from Australia brought the scores to within a point but the Welsh held out for a 29–25 win.[71]
A second half performance from Fiji at a wetHanazono Rugby Stadium saw the Fijians record their first win of their 2019 World Cup campaign as they won 45–10 over Georgia. This was partly due toSemi Radradra scoring two tries while also aiding in setting up three more tries as Fiji scored seven tries to one in the bonus-point victory.[72] Another slow start for the Australians in their game with Uruguay did not stop them from recording a win over the South Americans, withTevita Kuridrani andDane Haylett-Petty each getting two tries in the 35-point victory at Ōita Stadium.[73] Four days later at the same stadium, Fiji got off to a 10–0 lead with the tries coming fromJosua Tuisova andKini Murimurivalu within eight minutes. Fiji held their lead until the 31st minute whenJosh Adams scored his second try of three for the match. Wales increased their lead from there to win 29–17, qualifying for the quarter-finals with Australia.[74] The penultimate match of Pool D saw Australia outlast a tough Georgia in difficult conditions in Fukuroi, as they won 27–8.[75] Wales finished undefeated with a 35–13 win over Uruguay at Kumamoto Stadium to record a bonus-point victory and set up a quarter-final with France while Australia came in second.[76]
| 21 September 2019 | Australia | 39–21 | Fiji | Sapporo Dome,Sapporo |
| 23 September 2019 | Wales | 43–14 | Georgia | City of Toyota Stadium,Toyota |
| 25 September 2019 | Fiji | 27–30 | Uruguay | Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium,Kamaishi |
| 29 September 2019 | Georgia | 33–7 | Uruguay | Kumagaya Rugby Stadium,Kumagaya |
| 29 September 2019 | Australia | 25–29 | Wales | Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu |
| 3 October 2019 | Georgia | 10–45 | Fiji | Hanazono Rugby Stadium,Higashiōsaka |
| 5 October 2019 | Australia | 45–10 | Uruguay | Ōita Stadium,Ōita |
| 9 October 2019 | Wales | 29–17 | Fiji | Ōita Stadium,Ōita |
| 11 October 2019 | Australia | 27–8 | Georgia | Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa,Fukuroi |
| 13 October 2019 | Wales | 35–13 | Uruguay | Kumamoto Stadium,Kumamoto |
The knockout stage of the Rugby World Cup consisted of threesingle-elimination rounds leading to a final and a third-place playoff. Following a tie in regulation time, two 10-minute periods ofextra time would be used to determine a winner. If the scores are tied at the end of extra time, an additional 10-minute "sudden death" period is played, with the first team to score any points being declared the winner. If the score remains tied at the end of extra time, akicking competition would ensue.[31]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 19 October –Ōita | ||||||||||
| England | 40 | |||||||||
| 26 October –Yokohama | ||||||||||
| Australia | 16 | |||||||||
| England | 19 | |||||||||
| 19 October –Chōfu | ||||||||||
| New Zealand | 7 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 46 | |||||||||
| 2 November –Yokohama | ||||||||||
| Ireland | 14 | |||||||||
| England | 12 | |||||||||
| 20 October –Ōita | ||||||||||
| South Africa | 32 | |||||||||
| Wales | 20 | |||||||||
| 27 October –Yokohama | ||||||||||
| France | 19 | |||||||||
| Wales | 16 | |||||||||
| 20 October –Chōfu | ||||||||||
| South Africa | 19 | Third place | ||||||||
| Japan | 3 | |||||||||
| 1 November –Chōfu | ||||||||||
| South Africa | 26 | |||||||||
| New Zealand | 40 | |||||||||
| Wales | 17 | |||||||||
The first two quarter-finals were played on Saturday. The first quarter-final saw England defeat Australia 40–16 at Ōita Stadium. Two tries fromJonny May, plus the 18 turnovers that the Australians conceded and led to two more being scored by England, sealed the result that promptedMichael Cheika to resign as Australian coach.[77][78] The following match saw New Zealand book their spot in the semi-finals, with the All Blacks cruising to a 46–14 win over Ireland at Tokyo Stadium.Aaron Smith scored two of the All Blacks' seven tries, with the Irish only getting on the board in the 69th minute from aRobbie Henshaw converted try. A penalty try was then added seven minutes later.[79]
The other two quarter-finals were played the following day. In the opening match, France got off to an early 12–0 lead withSébastien Vahaamahina andCharles Ollivon both scoring tries in the first eight minutes.Aaron Wainwright opened the Welsh account with a try in the 12th minute beforeVirimi Vakatawa scored the French's third, giving them a 19–10 lead at the break. Nine minutes into the second half, France went down to 14 men with Sébastien Vahaamahina being red-carded for an elbow to Aaron Wainwright as Wales went on to win the match 20–19 with a 74th minute try toRoss Moriarty.[80] In the last quarter-final match, it was South Africa who claimed a 26–3 win over Japan withMakazole Mapimpi scoring two tries in the victory.[81]
| 19 October 2019 16:15JST (UTC+09) |
| England | 40–16 | Australia |
| Try:May (2) 18' c, 21' c Sinckler 46' c Watson 76' c Con:Farrell (4/4) 19', 23', 47', 77' Pen:Farrell (4/4) 30', 51', 66', 73' | Report | Try:Koroibete 43' c Con:Lealiifano (1/1) 44' Pen:Lealiifano (3/3) 12', 26', 41' |
| Ōita Stadium,Ōita Attendance: 36,954 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| 19 October 2019 19:15JST (UTC+09) |
| New Zealand | 46–14 | Ireland |
| Try:A. Smith (2) 14' c, 20' c B. Barrett 32' m Taylor 48' c Todd 61' m Bridge 73' c J. Barrett 79' m Con:Mo'unga (4/7) 15', 22', 49' 74' Pen:Mo'unga (1/1) 6' | Report | Try:Henshaw 69' c Penalty try 76' Con:Carbery (1/1) 69' |
| Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu Attendance: 46,686 Referee:Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| 20 October 2019 16:15JST (UTC+09) |
| Wales | 20–19 | France |
| Try:Wainwright 12' c Moriarty 74' c Con:Biggar (2/2) 13', 75' Pen:Biggar (2/2) 20', 54' | Report | Try:Vahaamahina 5' m Ollivon 8' c Vakatawa 31' c Con:Ntamack (2/3) 9', 32' |
| Ōita Stadium,Ōita Attendance: 34,426 Referee:Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
| 20 October 2019 19:15JST (UTC+09) |
| Japan | 3–26 | South Africa |
| Pen:Tamura (1/1) 20' | Report | Try:Mapimpi (2) 4' m, 70' m de Klerk 66' c Con:Pollard (1/3) 66' Pen:Pollard (3/4) 44', 49', 64' |
| Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu Attendance: 48,831 Referee:Wayne Barnes (England) |
In the first semi-final, England took on New Zealand in front of 68,843 spectators in Yokohama. In response to New Zealand's haka, England's players stood in a V-shape formation, for which they were later fined having crossed the halfway line.[82] England scored the opening points of the game in the second minute with a try from Manu Tuilagi, converted by Owen Farrell. After two penalties on either side of the half, the All Blacks responded in the 57th minute to close the gap to six points with a converted try fromArdie Savea, but two later penalties in the 63rd and the 69th confirmed England's spot in the final.[83]
The second semi-final was also played in Yokohama, as the 67,750 spectators in attendance saw South Africa take on Wales for a spot against England in the final. South Africa took a 9–6 lead into half-time, but Biggar levelled the scores with a penalty kick six minutes into the second half.Damian de Allende then scored the first try of the match in the 57th minute, fending off two Welsh tacklers to score from 20 metres out. Wales again equalised thanks to Josh Adams scoring down the short side from an attacking scrum on the South African five-metre line; however, they were penalised for collapsing a maul with five minutes left in the game, allowing Pollard to kick the winning points and book South Africa a spot in the final.[84]
| 26 October 2019 17:00JST (UTC+09) |
| England | 19–7 | New Zealand |
| Try:Tuilagi 2' c Con:Farrell (1/1) 3' Pen:Ford (4/5) 40', 50', 63', 69' | Report | Try:Savea 57' c Con:Mo'unga (1/1) 58' |
| International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama Attendance: 68,843 Referee:Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| 27 October 2019 18:00JST (UTC+09) |
| Wales | 16–19 | South Africa |
| Try:Adams 65' c Con:Halfpenny (1/1) 66' Pen:Biggar (3/3) 18', 39', 46' | Report | Try:de Allende 57' c Con:Pollard (1/1) 58' Pen:Pollard (4/4) 15', 20', 35', 76' |
| International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama Attendance: 67,750 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (France) |
The bronze medal was won by New Zealand in a convincing win over Wales.[85]
| 1 November 2019 18:00JST (UTC+09) |
| New Zealand | 40–17 | Wales |
| Try:Moody 5' c B. Barrett 13' c B. Smith (2) 33' c, 40+1' c Crotty 42' c Mo'unga 76' m Con:Mo'unga (5/6) 7', 14', 34', 40+2', 44' | Report | Try:Amos 19' c Adams 59' c Con:Patchell (1/1) 21' Biggar (1/1) 61' Pen:Patchell (1/1) 27' |
| Tokyo Stadium,Chōfu Attendance: 48,842 Referee:Wayne Barnes (England) |
England started as favourites for the final,[86] but they had an unfortunate start to the game asKyle Sinckler was substituted in the third minute after colliding withMaro Itoje,[87] leaving England with only one tighthead prop.[88] South Africa tight forwardsBongi Mbonambi andLood de Jager left the field through injuries in the 21st minute.[89] During the first half the only points scored were from penalties, with South Africa leading 12–6 at half time after several handling errors by England.[90] England came close to scoring a try, but did not manage to score after 26 phases.[88]
Two more successful penalties on either side made the score 18–12 at the beginning of the second half. Makazole Mapimpi scored the first try in the 66th minute, making South Africa's lead 25–12 after the conversion while becoming the first Springbok to score a try in a World Cup final.[88] Cheslin Kolbe followed up with another try eight minutes later, making the final score 32–12.[88][90][91]
| 2 November 2019 18:00JST (UTC+09) |
| England | 12–32 | South Africa |
| Pen:Farrell (4/5) 23', 35', 52', 60' | Report | Try:Mapimpi 66' c Kolbe 74' c Con:Pollard (2/2) 67', 75' Pen:Pollard (6/8) 10', 26', 39', 43', 46', 58' |
| International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama Attendance: 70,103 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| Player | Team | Total | Details | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tries | Conversions | Penalties | Drop goals | |||
| Handré Pollard | South Africa | 69 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 1 |
| Owen Farrell | England | 58 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| Richie Mo'unga | New Zealand | 54 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| Yu Tamura | Japan | 51 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| Dan Biggar | Wales | 41 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| Josh Adams | Wales | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Ford | England | 32 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Jordie Barrett | New Zealand | 31 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Makazole Mapimpi | South Africa | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Felipe Berchesi | Uruguay | 30 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
On 10 October, World Rugby and the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee announced that, due to the predicted weather caused by Typhoon Hagibis, the Pool B meeting betweenNew Zealand and Italy and the Pool C meeting betweenEngland and France had been cancelled.[92] The decisions had been made on safety grounds with considerations on the expected impact the typhoon would have on Tokyo, including likely public transport shutdown or disruption. This was the first ever occasion any Rugby World Cup match had been cancelled.[93] Decision on cancellation of pool games scheduled for 13 October was made on the day of the game, including the match between Japan andScotland.[54]
On the evening of 12 OctoberJapan Standard Time (JST), World Rugby and the Japan 2019 Organising Committee released a statement that they had advised Namibia and Canada of the possibility of their game being cancelled, with the typhoon predicted to impact Kamaishi.[94] On 13 October, World Rugby and the Japan 2019 Organising Committee announced the cancellation of theNamibia–Canada game in Kamaishi.[95] The decision was made following a level 5 evacuation order in the city on the day of the match following the typhoon.[96] Canada's national team stayed in Kamaishi to help out local residents with their cleanup efforts.[97] The Namibia national team interacted with fans in the campsiteMiyako City.[98][99]
Shortly after the announcement of the cancellation of the Namibia–Canada game, it was confirmed that the matches betweenWales and Uruguay and theUnited States and Tonga would go ahead as scheduled.[55] By noon on 12 October, it was confirmed that the match between Japan and Scotland was unaffected by the typhoon and would take place as scheduled, in front of spectators who had previously feared that they might have missed out with the game played behind closed doors.[100]
In line with tournament rules, the canceled pool matches were declared as drawn, the points being shared two each with no score registered.[31] With these cancellations,France were unable to compete for the top pool position (held by England at the time), with a victory to secure that place. For Italy, however, the cancellation effectively eliminated them from the tournament; a victory against defending champions New Zealand could have seen them qualify for the knock-out stage, dependent on the margin of the win.[101] This also had implications on whether South Africa finished top of their pool or as runners-up, having already confirmed their progression to the quarter-finals.[102][103]
For the first time, the domestic rights holder did not serve as the host broadcaster of the tournament. Instead, International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS), a joint venture betweenHost Broadcast Services (HBS) andIMG, handled production of the footage distributed to rights holders. IGBS used production resources from traditional rugby nations such as Australia, France, New Zealand, South Africa and theUnited Kingdom. Japanese broadcasterNHK covered selected games in8K resolution, using a combination of nine 8K cameras and up-converted4K resolution footage from IGBS. The International Broadcast Centre was located outside Ajinomoto Stadium.[104][105]
World Rugby streamed the tournament on its website for unsold markets.[106] Sport24 was the rights holder for in-flight/in-ship broadcast.[107] In South Africa,pay television channelSuperSport had broadcasting rights. To enable the whole country to watch, thefree-to-airSouth African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) broadcast the final after they reached an agreement withMultiChoice.[108]
| Territory | Rights holder | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | DigitAlb | [105] |
| Argentina | TPA | [109] |
| Australia | [110][111] | |
| Belgium | Telenet | [105] |
| Brazil | ESPN | [112] |
| Canada | TSN | [113] |
| Cyprus | CYTA | [105] |
| Czech Republic | Pragosport | [105] |
| Fiji | Fiji TV | [114] |
| France | TF1 Group | [115] |
| Georgia | GPB | [105] |
| Germany | ProSiebenSat.1 Media | [116] |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports | [117] |
| India | Sony Pictures Networks | [118] |
| Ireland | [119][120] | |
| Israel | Charlton | [105] |
| Italy | RAI | [121] |
| Japan | [105][122] | |
| Kosovo | DigitAlb | [105] |
| Latin America | ESPN | [112] |
| Latvia | LTV7 | [123] |
| Malaysia | RTM | [105] |
| MENA | beIN Sports | [124] |
| Netherlands | Ziggo Sport | [125] |
| New Zealand | [126][127] | |
| Nordic | NENT | [128] |
| Pacific Islands | Fiji TV | [114] |
| Poland | Polsat | [105] |
| Portugal | Sport TV | [105] |
| Russia | Match TV | [105] |
| Romania | TVR | [129] |
| Slovakia | Pragosport | [105] |
| Southeast Asia | beIN Sports | [117] |
| Spain | Movistar+ | [130] |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport | [105] |
| Taiwan | ELTA | [131] |
| United Kingdom | [132][133] | |
| United States | NBCUniversal | [134] |
| Uruguay | Channel 10 | [135] |
^1Typhoon Hagibis caused the matches New Zealand versus Italy and England versus France to be cancelled and recorded as 0–0 draws.[54]
^2Typhoon Hagibis and an associated evacuation order for Kamaishi caused the match between Namibia and Canada to be cancelled and recorded as a 0–0 draw.[55]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
2019 Rugby World Cup finalists | |
|---|---|
| Champions | |
| Runner-up | |
| Third Place | |
| Fourth Place | |
| Quarter finalists | |
| Pool stage | |
