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The Wallabies will face major rivals England and Wales in their final two pivotal group games in the `pool of death’ at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The International Rugby Board and Cup organisers on Wednesday announced the schedule and venues for the showpiece tournament, which sees Australia kick off their campaign in Cardiff on September 24.
They will play an Oceania qualifier, highly likely to be Fiji, before backing up four days later against another qualifying nation in Birmingham.
The two easier games will allow coach Ewen McKenzie to play his strongest team in the first game and then rest them from the second to freshen up and face hosts England on October 3 at Twickenham.
The Wallabies then finalise their pool play against the Welsh at Twickenham on October 10.
Australia and England are world ranked No.3 and No.4, respectively, while Wales are the reigning Six Nations champions.
Losses to both in the group stage would see the Wallabies miss the playoff stage for the first time in the tournament’s 28-year history.
But they would be desperate to win all four pool matches to avoid South Africa, the top ranked team in pool B, in the quarterfinals and instead draw the likes of Samoa or Scotland.
Australia can also avoid a likely semifinal meeting with the defending champion All Blacks, who are in pool C, by topping their pool.
New Zealand and South Africa, rugby’s top two ranked nations, are on a collision course for a semifinal while the Wallabies would be more likely to face France or Ireland if they make their way through to the final four.
The tournament decider has been scheduled for October 31, which would be played at 3am November 1 (AEDT).
The Wallabies, who last held the Webb Ellis Trophy aloft in 1999, finished third at the 2011 World Cup after being knocked out by the All Blacks in a one-sided semifinal.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.