2015 Rugby World Cup

2015 Rugby World Cup

Tournament details
Host nation	England
Dates	18 September 2015 – 31 October 2015
No. of nations	20
← 2011 2019 →

The 2015 Rugby Union World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October 2015.Twickenham Stadium will host the final.

England was chosen to host the competition in July 2009, beating rival bids from Italy, Japan and South Africa. Four countries submitted formal bids to host the tournament, with England being recommended by the competition's organisers to the International Rugby Board (IRB). RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset revealed the result on 28 July 2009 at IRB headquarters.

Bids

Submission of interest

The International Rugby Board requested that any member unions wishing to host this tournament or the 2019 Rugby World Cup should indicate their interest by 15 August 2008. This would be purely to indicate interest; no details had to be provided at this stage. A record ten unions indicated formal interest in hosting the 2015 and/or the 2019 events: Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. Argentina had been reported in early 2008 as having given preliminary consideration to bidding, but did not ultimately formally indicate an interest in bidding.

Of the 10 nations that had expressed formal interest, many withdrew their candidacy in early 2009. Jamaica was the first to withdraw its candidacy. Russia withdrew in February 2009 to concentrate on bidding for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Australia and Ireland withdrew in spring 2009 due to financial reasons. Scotland withdrew in April 2009 after they were unable to secure co-hosting partners for the tournament. Wales was the last nation to officially pull out after they failed to submit a bid by 8 May 2009, but Wales backed England's bid and some games will be played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Final bids

The final nations that bid for the right to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup were England, Japan, South Africa and Italy. Four confirmed bids was a record number for the Rugby World Cup.

England

In September 2007, The Guardian reported that the Rugby Football Union had decided to submit a bid. BBC News reported in February 2009 that the intent was for a solo bid from the RFU, but with the possibility of some matches being played in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. It was hoped that the 2015 World Cup would add to Britain's "Decade of Sport" (including the 2012 Summer Olympics).

It was also claimed that the bid had a very strong chance of success due to the IRB's belief that the 2011 tournament might make a loss, therefore making it particularly important to ensure a profit, which was considered a strong point of England's proposed bid. The chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, Francis Baron, said that the tournament will target sales of 3 million tickets. England's package was projected to generate £300m for the IRB -- £220m in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising, and the £80m tournament fee.

On 28 July 2009, the International Rugby Board (IRB) confirmed that England had fought off rival bids from South Africa and Italy and would host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, while Japan would host the 2019 event. The IRB voted 16-10 in favour of rubber-stamping the recommendation from Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) that England and Japan should be named hosts.

Italy

Italy stated its desire to host, and an Italian bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 or 2019 was confirmed on 20 July 2008. Italy declared that it wanted to host "For the Enlargement of the Frontiers of Our Sport". It was a slogan relevant to the then-current landscape of World Cup rugby, given that 2007 was the first time that the Rugby World Cup was hosted primarily by a non-English-speaking country.

The Italian bid offered the largest cities and stadiums in the country and promised a fast domestic train system to ensure visitors easy access to the games and between cities. The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) also included the importance of the history of Italy, the population and the growth of rugby since Italy joined the 6 Nations in 2000 as reasons for hosting a World Cup. Rugby had been growing increasingly popular in Italy in recent years, with improved crowds at both international matches and the domestic National Championship of Excellence competition.^{[citation needed]} The FIR referred to the success of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France as a key for why it should host. Fans from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and other European countries went to matches in France in large numbers, and Italy was therefore predicted to receive a large number of visitors.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome had been proposed as the venue to host the final and the first match of the tournament. Milan and Naples were included as the other large venues. The entire list was a selection of large stadiums spread across the country. Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France was also included as the tenth proposed venue.

Japan

Main article: 2019 Rugby World Cup

The Japan Rugby Football Union officially submitted its tender to the International Rugby Board in May 2009. Japan was seen as a favourite to host after finishing runner-up in the bidding for the 2011 event, and won the right to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Japan is seen as having a lot to offer rugby's growth in Asia. Its population of 127 million, its large economy, and its ability to place rugby before a new Asian audience made it a front-runner for hosting rights. Furthermore, rugby in Japan has a developing following, and with 126,000 registered players Japan has more players than some of the Six Nations. Japan's Top League is a showcase for Japanese rugby and there is excitement about Japan's entry into the RWC. Japan's experience in co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup was seen as a boost, with Japan already possessing the necessary stadiums and infrastructure.

South Africa

The South African Rugby Union (SARU) had confirmed its intent to bid for the 2015 tournament, and in May 2009 South Africa delivered its application to the International Rugby Board. South Africa had previously made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 RWC. The strengths of a South African bid would be that it is in the same time zone as Europe, the wealthiest television market, that South Africa were the current World Cup holders, that they had successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and that they were in the process of building large new stadiums for the then-upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Venues

After the decision by the IRB on 28 July 2009, the proposed stadia for the tournament were revealed. Eleven stadia in England and one in Wales were chosen. Only two venues (Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park) are dedicated club rugby union grounds; two are national rugby stadia (Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium); one is multi-purpose (Olympic Stadium) and the remainder are association football grounds. Under the initial proposal, all stadia will host pool games. Twickenham will host the final, both semi-finals and one quarter-final. The Millennium Stadium will host two quarter-finals. Wembley will host one quarter-final.

The first venue officially announced was Wales' Millennium Stadium, which was endorsed by the IRB on 24 May 2011. The RFU had proposed the stadium because of its size and strategic location close to major rugby hotbeds in England's West Country, a view with which the IRB ultimately agreed. An updated list of venues was later released. On 4 March 2013 Sandy Park - home of the Exeter Chiefs - was added as a location, with plans for expansion up to 20,000.

In April 2013, Manchester United F.C. pulled out of an agreement to host matches at Old Trafford, citing previous commitments to hosting rugby league and its Grand Final, as well as not wanting to degrade their pitch. With the RWCL wanting some matches staged in North West England, Manchester City F.C. were approached about leasing the City of Manchester Stadium as a replacement. It was later reported that Manchester City would only be interested in hosting one match during the football season, down from the original three which were to be played at Old Trafford.

The venues for the tournament were confirmed on 2 May 2013.

London	London	Cardiff	Manchester	London
Twickenham	Wembley Stadium	Millennium Stadium	City of Manchester Stadium	Olympic Stadium
51°27′22″N 0°20′30″W	51°33′21″N 0°16′47″W	51°28′40″N 3°11′00″W	53°28′59″N 2°12′1″W	51°32′19″N 0°00′59″W
Capacity: 82,000	Capacity: 90,000	Capacity: 74,500	Expansion to 60,000	Capacity: 54,000
Matches: 5 Pool, 2 QF, 2 SF, Final	Matches: 2 Pool	Matches: 6 Pool, 2 QF	Matches: 1 Pool	Matches: 4 Pool, Bronze
Newcastle	Wembley Olympic Stadium Twickenham Villa Park Brighton Community Stadium City of Manchester Stadium Sandy Park Millennium Stadium Kingsholm Stadium Elland Road Leicester City Stadium Stadium mk St James' Park Location of the 13 stadia to host rugby matches at the 2015 IRB World Cup announced on 2 May 2013.			Birmingham
St. James' Park				Villa Park
Capacity: 52,387				Capacity: 42,788
54°58′32″N 1°37′18″W				52°30′33″N 1°53′5″W
Matches: 3 Pool				Matches: 2 Pool
Leeds				Leicester
Elland Road				Leicester City Stadium
53°46′40″N 1°34′20″W				52°37′13″N 1°8′32″W
Capacity: 37,900				Capacity: 32,262
Matches: 2 Pool				Matches: 3 Pool
Milton Keynes				Brighton
Stadium MK				Brighton Community Stadium
Expansion to 32,000				Capacity: 30,750
52°00′34″N 00°44′00″W				50°51′42″N 0°4′59.80″W
Matches: 3 Pool				Matches: 2 Pool
Gloucester				Exeter
Kingsholm Stadium				Sandy Park
51°52′18″N 2°14′34″W				50°42′33.51″N 3°28′3.26″W
Capacity: 16,500				Capacity: 12,300
Matches: 4 Pool				Matches: 3 Pool

Qualifying

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying

England, as the host nation, qualify automatically. All the teams that came 3rd or above in the pool stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup automatically qualify.

Africa	Americas	Europe	Oceania	Asia
South Africa	Argentina	England (Hosts) France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales	Australia New Zealand (Holders) Samoa Tonga	No Asian nations qualified as of 3 December 2012.

The qualification process for the remaining teams will incorporate existing regional competitions such as the European Nations Cup.

Pool stage

The first round, or pool stage, sees the 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams, using the same format that was used in 2003, 2007 and in 2011. The pool stage draw was conducted at the Tate Modern on 3 December 2012 at 15:00 GMT, and divided the 12 automatic qualifiers into three bands according to their place in the most recent IRB World Rankings.

The bands are as follows:

• Band 1: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, France
• Band 2: England, Ireland, Samoa, Argentina
• Band 3: Wales, Italy, Tonga, Scotland
• Band 4: Oceania 1, Europe 1, Asia 1, Americas 1
• Band 5: Africa 1, Europe 2, Americas 2, Playoff winner

Pools

Pool A	Pool B	Pool C	Pool D
Australia England Wales Oceania 1 Playoff winner	South Africa Samoa Scotland Asia 1 Americas 2	New Zealand Argentina Tonga Europe 1 Africa 1	France Ireland Italy Americas 1 Europe 2

Each pool is a single round-robin of ten games, in which each team plays one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. Teams are awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. A team scoring four or more tries in one match will score a bonus point, as will a team that loses by seven points or fewer.

The teams finishing in the top two of each pool will advance to the quarter-finals. The top three teams of each pool will receive automatic qualification to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Pool A

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
England	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Wales	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Oceania 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Playoff winner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0

18 September 2015	England	v	Oceania 1	Twickenham Stadium, London
20 September 2015	Wales	v	Playoff winner	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
23 September 2015	Australia	v	Oceania 1	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
26 September 2015	England	v	Wales	Twickenham Stadium, London
27 September 2015	Australia	v	Playoff winner	Villa Park, Birmingham
1 October 2015	Wales	v	Oceania 1	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
3 October 2015	England	v	Australia	Twickenham Stadium, London
6 October 2015	Playoff winner	v	Oceania 1	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
10 October 2015	Australia	v	Wales	Twickenham Stadium, London
10 October 2015	England	v	Playoff winner	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Pool B

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Samoa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Scotland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Asia 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Americas 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0

19 September 2015	South Africa	v	Asia 1	Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
20 September 2015	Samoa	v	Americas 2	Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
23 September 2015	Scotland	v	Asia 1	Kingsholm, Gloucester
26 September 2015	South Africa	v	Samoa	Villa Park, Birmingham
27 September 2015	Scotland	v	Americas 2	Elland Road, Leeds
3 October 2015	Samoa	v	Asia 1	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
3 October 2015	South Africa	v	Scotland	St. James' Park, Newcastle
7 October 2015	South Africa	v	Americas 2	Olympic Stadium, London
10 October 2015	Samoa	v	Scotland	St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015	Americas 2	v	Asia 1	Kingsholm, Gloucester

Pool C

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Argentina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Tonga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Europe 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Africa 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0

19 September 2015	Tonga	v	Europe 1	Kingsholm, Gloucester
20 September 2015	New Zealand	v	Argentina	Wembley Stadium, London
24 September 2015	New Zealand	v	Africa 1	Olympic Stadium, London
25 September 2015	Argentina	v	Europe 1	Kingsholm, Gloucester
29 September 2015	Tonga	v	Africa 1	Sandy Park, Exeter
2 October 2015	New Zealand	v	Europe 1	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
4 October 2015	Argentina	v	Tonga	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
7 October 2015	Africa 1	v	Europe 1	Sandy Park, Exeter
9 October 2015	New Zealand	v	Tonga	St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015	Argentina	v	Africa 1	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester

Pool D

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup Pool D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Ireland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Americas 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0
Europe 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	+0	0	0

19 September 2015	Ireland	v	Americas 1	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
19 September 2015	France	v	Italy	Twickenham Stadium, London
23 September 2015	France	v	Europe 2	Olympic Stadium, London
26 September 2015	Italy	v	Americas 1	Elland Road, Leeds
27 September 2015	Ireland	v	Europe 2	Wembley Stadium, London
1 October 2015	France	v	Americas 1	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
4 October 2015	Ireland	v	Italy	Olympic Stadium, London
6 October 2015	Americas 1	v	Europe 2	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
11 October 2015	Italy	v	Europe 2	Sandy Park, Exeter
11 October 2015	France	v	Ireland	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Knockout stage

Main article: 2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	17 October – Millennium Stadium
	Winner C
					24 October – Twickenham Stadium
	Second D
	17 October – Twickenham Stadium
	Winner B
									31 October – Twickenham Stadium
	Second A
	18 October – Millennium Stadium
	Winner D
					25 October – Twickenham Stadium
	Second C
									Third place
	18 October – Twickenham Stadium
	Winner A
	Second B
									30 October – Olympic Stadium

Quarter-finals

17 October 2015	Winner Pool C	v	Runner Up Pool D	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

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17 October 2015	Winner Pool B	v	Runner Up Pool A	Twickenham Stadium, London

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18 October 2015	Winner Pool D	v	Runner Up Pool C	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

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18 October 2015	Winner Pool A	v	Runner Up Pool B	Twickenham Stadium, London

Semi-finals

24 October 2015	Winner QF1	v	Winner QF2	Twickenham Stadium, London

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25 October 2015	Winner QF3	v	Winner QF4	Twickenham Stadium, London

Bronze final

30 October 2015	Loser SF1	v	Loser SF2	Olympic Stadium, London

Final

31 October 2015	Winner SF1	v	Winner SF2	Twickenham Stadium, London

Media coverage

ITV Sport will be the UK and worldwide host broadcaster for the 2015 event, having signed a deal in 2011 to broadcast the 2011 and 2015 RWC tournaments. ITV won the rights after outbidding rivals including the BBC and Sky Sports. It will show every match from the tournaments live in the UK on ITV and ITV4. It has rights to stream the matches online at itv.com and also broadcast highlights online. ITV has broadcast every World Cup tournament since 1991.

External links

• Official website
• The IRB official site

Preceded by 2011 Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup 2015 TBA

Succeeded by 2019 Rugby World Cup