RWC draw a rare bright spot for Australian rugby

Michael Cheika is refusing to take comfort after his Wallabies were handed a seemingly saloon passage through to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Third-ranked Australia landed in Pool D with eighth seeds Wales at Wednesday night’s draw in Kyoto, along with Georgia and two yet-to-be-determined qualifiers from Oceania and the Americas 2 division.

Defending champions New Zealand have been pitted alongside Rugby Championship rivals South Africa, while Pool C will undoubtedly be dubbed the group of death.

It features Eddie Jones’ second-ranked England, France and 2015 semi-finalists Argentina.

As one of the top four seeds, Australia were always guaranteed to avoid the All Blacks, England and Ireland before the quarter-finals.

Now the Wallabies will be heavily favoured to cruise through the pool stages too, with Wales the lowest-ranked team from the second band of seedings they could possibly have drawn.

The Wallabies have won their past 12 Tests against the Red Dragon, including their pool match at the 2015 World Cup in Britain en route to the final, and last lost to Warren Gatland’s side in 2008 in Cardiff.

Australia’s other two Pool D opponents are likely to be either Fiji or Samoa from Oceania and either the USA or Canada from the Americas qualifying competition.

The favourable draw is a far cry from the last edition of rugby’s global showpiece, when Australia battled through the group of death, knocking out co-hosts England during their charge to the title match.

Cheika, though, is taking nothing for granted.

“You’ve just got to deal with each game as it comes and that is the key to tournament play,” he said from Japan.

“I’m not just saying that.

“When you get into that type (of tournament) – the European Cup or all those things – you don’t forecast, you don’t predict what’s going to happen, you don’t gamble on things.

“You just look at what’s in front of you and do the absolute best in that one because other things are happening around you that you can’t control.

“So any predictions you make are irrelevant because you can only control one thing – and that’s us.”

Should the Wallabies advance from Pool D, they will face the runners-up from Pool D – most likely France or Argentina and possibly England.

Considered New Zealand’s greatest threat after equalling the All Blacks’ tier-one world-record 17 Test wins before falling earlier this year to Ireland, England will again have a tough time emerging from the group stages.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said rugby fans would be licking their lips at a southern-hemisphere, group-stage blockbuster between the world champions and Springboks.

But, looking at the bigger picture, Hansen was hoping the ninth World Cup – and first staged in Asia – would successfully grow the game.

“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a special part of the world and a unique culture,” he said.

“Rugby is developing here and it’s probably leading that development in this region so let’s hope that the tournament reaches great heights.”

POOLS FOR 2019 RUGBY WORLD CUP IN JAPAN AFTER WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S DRAW (team’s ranking in brackets):

Pool A: Ireland (4), Scotland (5), Japan (11), Playoff Winner (between Europe 2 and Oceania 3), Europe 1

Pool B: New Zealand (1), South Africa (7), Italy (15), Africa 1, repechage winners

Pool C: England (2), France (6), Argentina (9), Americas 1, Oceania 2

Pool D: Australia (3), Wales (8), Georgia (12), Oceania 1, Americas 2

QUARTER-FINALS

QF1: Pool A winners v Pool B runners-up

QF2: Pool B winners v Pool A runners-up

QF3: Pool C winners v Pool D runners-up

QF4: Pool D winners v Pool C runners-up