Rugby World Cup Repechage Tournament To Be Held In France

The 20th and final qualifier spot at the 2019 World Cup will be decided in a Repechage tournament that will be held in State Delort in Marseille, it has been announced.

Four teams will feature in a round-robin event that will be played over three match days on Sunday 11 November, Saturday 17 November and finally the 23rd of November on a Friday.

Right now there are two sides currently guaranteed a spot in the round robin event. Firstly, Hong Kong smashed the Cook Islands 77-3 to secure their place to go along with Canada, who lost to Uruguay in a two-match play-off.

The third place will go to either Germany or Samoa after their match this Saturday with the winner automatically qualifying for the 2019 World Cup and the loser going into the repechage event. (Samoa are in the driving seat after a 66-15 victory in the first leg).

And finally the fourth place will be decided when the Rugby Africa Gold Cup finishes. The winner will qualify automatically and the runners-up enter the repechage.

Success: The French team secured victory against England in the U20 Final (Getty Images)

France was chosen to host the event after the immense success of the World Rugby U20 Championships that was held recently.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “The repechage tournament is going to be a very hotly contested event with the ultimate prize of a place at the Rugby World Cup at stake. Marseille can look forward to three matchdays of thrilling rugby between nations from four different continents.

“Following the outstanding success of the recent World Rugby U20 Championship in southern France, we are delighted to partner with the French Rugby Federation again to deliver this important tournament as France continues to advance its preparations for hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2023.”

French Rugby Federation President Bernard Laporte said: “I am delighted that France will be hosting the repechage tournament for the Rugby World Cup 2019. It’s a very important event as four teams will compete in Marseille to get the last seat for the Rugby World Cup in Japan. By hosting this tournament, FFR reinforces its commitment to help develop rugby worldwide. It’s also a pretty glimpse to the Rugby World Cup #France2023. I wish to thank the SMUC Rugby which partners with FFR to ensure the success of such an event.”

The winner of the repechage tournament will go into a group alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and the winner of the Africa Gold Cup.

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