RWC 2015 Pools

[Hugh Jarse]

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/news/newsid=2064565.html#lapasset+rwc+capture+hearts+minds

The pools of RWC15 have been announced:

Pool A
Australia
England
Wales
Oceania 1
Playoff Winner

Pool B
South Africa
Samoa
Scotland
Asia 1
Americas 2

Pool C
New Zealand
Argentina
Tonga
Europe 1
Africa 1

Pool D
France
Ireland
Italy
Americas 1
Europe 2

There is only 1018 days to go.

Anyone think we lucked out in the Draw?

 

[Scarfman]

It's a good thing we aren't in Pool B - Scotland and Samoa! We'd be fucked!

 

[kiap]

I like it. We'll probably open the tournament against England in London.

There'll be no complacency from us and the pressure on them will great. We beat them at home and get a good run, their confidence shattered.

Wales and Fiji should also be good solid games.



QF1: Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
QF2: Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
QF3: Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
QF4: Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C

SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4

Bronze Final: Loser SF1 v Loser SF2

Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2

 

[nugget]

pool of death!

 

[crangs81]

It's a good thing we aren't in Pool B - Scotland and Samoa! We'd be fucked!

lol

 

[crangs81]

pool of death!

or pool of great preparation for the knock out stages?

 

[BarneySF]

We beat England and Wales, and our complacency would be off the charts. Unless a new regime has helped fix that by 2015.

 

[JJJ]

Australia
England
Wales
Huge Lubricated Banana-Skin 1
Just-In-Case Points Differential Lifter

No easy pool games for us. It might be the sort of pool we need to avoid getting-ahead-of-ourselves performances like the one we put out against Ireland.

 

[Hairy Test Eagle]

It's a good thing we aren't in Pool B - Scotland and Samoa! We'd be fucked!

We're a fair chance to play them in the quarters mate, could be a repeat of 2007

 

[Braveheart81]

That's a hellish draw for the Wallabies because we'll have to play England at Twickenham and then Wales at Millennium Stadium.

If we do manage to win all our pool games, we do have the potential advantage of not meeting the All Blacks until the final.

Getting out of the pool stage is going to be difficult though!

 

[cyclopath]

Meh. If we can't make it out of that pool, we'd never win anyway. Suck it up and deal with it.
That said, the pools seem oddly balanced. Good thing it's random.

 

[p.Tah]

we had a supposedly easy pool in 2011 and we struggled at times in that. We play to the level of the opposition so hopefully tougher opponenets will lift out game.

 

[Braveheart81]

Meh. If we can't make it out of that pool, we'd never win anyway. Suck it up and deal with it.
That said, the pools seem oddly balanced. Good thing it's random.

I agree. I guess the bit that makes our pool hard is the fact that England and Wales are at home. If the RWC was anywhere else there wouldn't be anything to be concerned about.

From a purely statistical point of view it is the toughest pool on the basis that Pool A has the highest rank team from the second and third brackets (England ranked 5th, Wales ranked 9th) and the third ranked team from the first bracket.

 

[cyclopath]

The randomness of randomness?

 

[Braveheart81]

If we finish second in our pool we set ourselves up for South Africa in the quarter finals and New Zealand in the semi finals.

None of the other 2011 RWC finals pairings can really eventuate again from what I can see.

 

[KevinO]

Very Happy with Ireland's draw, couldn't have asked for a better draw than that.


Wallabies do have a tough group, but as they will be under the less pressure than Wales and England it has it's advantage. I think Wales will be dreading playingt Fiji again after 2007 World Cup.

 

[daz]

Assuming nothing changes in the Wallaby coaching ranks until RWC15, we could very well have our tournament end in the pool stages.

Still, we have 3 years to prepare so we have plenty of time. Maybe we should start soon, though. Just sayin'.

 

[aeneas]

Very Happy with Ireland's draw, couldn't have asked for a better draw than that.

Really you want the All Blacks in the 1/4ers assuming you come second in your pool?

 

[No4918]

Has a top 4 side ever missed making it through?

3 years is a long time. The end of the 2014 season will give us a better indication of the pool strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Richo]

Assuming nothing changes in the Wallaby coaching ranks until RWC15, we could very well have our tournament end in the pool stages.

Still, we have 3 years to prepare so we have plenty of time. Maybe we should start soon, though. Just sayin'.

If nothing changes in the coaching ranks, we'll be down to .33 tries per game and no one will give a toss if we lose. So there's a silver lining.