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Wallabies receive favourable draw for 2019 Rugby World Cup

10th May, 2017
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Australia will be hoping for success in the June Internationals. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Expert
10th May, 2017
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The 2019 Rugby World Cup draw has been announced with Australia being drawn in Pool D alongside Wales, Georgia and two qualifiers.

Meanwhile, New Zealand and South Africa will meet in an epic Pool B contest.

The Pool B fixture is shaping as the best of the group stages, while Pool C appears to be the toughest with England being drawn along with France and Argentina.

The draw for the World Cup saw 12 automatic qualifiers split across three bands. One team was then taken from each to form the four pools for the World Cup. Those 12 nations were joined by eight qualifying positions, which are still yet to be determined.

Being split across two bands, all four pools took one team from each band to fill the five-team groups.

The group for Australia seems on the surface to be a relatively straightforward one, with qualification to the finals expected. Wales will provide a solid contest, but the Wallabies will go in as heavy favourites against Georgia and the Oceania team (likely to be Fiji), along with the Americas qualifier.

Pool C could be the proverbial ‘group of death’ and will see England take on France, Argentina and likely qualifiers in the shape of Canada and either Samoa or Tonga.

New Zealand will go into the tournament as heavy favourites to cruise through Pool B, but their contest against South Africa promises to be a quality one. Italy may be the unluckiest team out of the third band of teams, having to face two of the global powerhouses.

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Ireland and Scotland headline Pool A and will play a derby match at some point during the pool phase, with Japan the other confirmed side in their group.

Japan upset South Africa at the 2015 World Cup in England and playing on home soil, with another couple of seasons playing in the Super Rugby competition under the belt, there is no reason to suspect they couldn’t upset either of the European sides.

A third European side will join that group out of the qualification tournaments as well as the playoff winner.

The full list of kick-off times, dates and venues will be announced at a later date, with the World Cup scheduled to commence on September 20, 2019 in Tokyo and the final to be played Yokohama Stadium in Kanagawa on Saturday, November 2.

Pool A
1. Ireland
2. Scotland
3. Japan
4. Europe 1
5. Playoff Winner

Pool B
1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Italy
4. Africa 1
5. Repechage winner

Pool C
1. England
2. France
3. Argentina
4. Americas 1
5. Oceania 2

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Pool D
1. Australia
2. Wales
3. Georgia
4. Oceania 1
5. Americas 2

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