Rugby World Cup Knockout Stages: Who Is Playing Who?

The 2019 Rugby World Cup knockout stages are now in full swing. Here we break down how the final pool tables were determined and look at who is playing who in the knockout stages…

Pool A

• This pool was very much up in the air until the final match of the group stages between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama.
• Ireland secured a bonus-point win over Samoa in Fukuoka on Saturday to guarantee their place in the last eight. This moved them onto 16 points, so they couldn’t be overtaken by Scotland even if the Scots had beaten Japan with a bonus point.
• Japan needed to pick up at least two points against Scotland to ensure top spot in the pool. Instead, they picked up the maximum of five with a 28-21 bonus-point win that ended the Scots’ participation in the World Cup.

History makers: Kenki Fukuoka scored two tries to help secure Japan’s quarter-final place (Getty Images)

Related: How the final World Cup pool standings are determined

Pool B

• With Saturday’s New Zealand v Italy match cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis, the result was classified as a 0-0 draw and both teams were awarded two points. Therefore the All Blacks are pool winners on 16 points and South Africa the runners-up on 15.
• A bonus-point win over the All Blacks would have seen Italy reach the quarter-finals (providing New Zealand picked up only one losing bonus point in defeat), but the cancellation of the match denied them that chance. They have, however, secured their place at France 2023 by finishing third in the pool.
  

  Homeward bound: Italy players train to face New Zealand but that game has been called off (Getty Images)

• The match between Namibia and Canada was cancelled on Sunday morning on safety grounds, but neither team could have usurped Italy in third had the game gone ahead. Both teams were awarded two points for a 0-0 draw and Namibia finished fourth in the pool standings thanks to a better points difference than Canada.

Pool C

• Both England and France had qualified for the quarter-finals before the cancellation of their match in Yokohama, which would have determined who topped the pool. With that now classed as a 0-0 draw, England advanced as pool winners with 17 points and France as pool runners-up with 15.
  

  Moving on: France leave their hotel after their game against England was cancelled (Getty Images)

• In the remaining game in Pool C,  Tonga beat USA 31-19 in Osaka on Sunday to secure fourth spot in the pool standings ahead of the Eagles.
• Argentina confirmed third place in the pool and thus secured qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

Pool D

• Australia and Wales are both through to the quarter-finals.
  

  Right note: Wales secured top spot in Pool D (Getty Images)

• Wales needed to secure a minimum of two points from their match against Uruguay in Kumamoto on Sunday to win Pool D. They got the maximum of five with a bonus-point win, albeit an unconvincing one, to top the pool while Australia go through as runners-up.

So who will be playing who in the last eight? Here’s a breakdown of the quarter-finals, with UK & Ireland kick-off times, as things stand…

Rugby World Cup Quarter-Finals

Sat 19 Oct QF1 England 40-16 Australia (Oita) Match Report

Sat 19 Oct QF2 New Zealand 46-14 Ireland (Tokyo) Match Report

Sun 20 Oct QF3 Wales 20-19 France (Oita), 8.15am Match Report

Sun 20 Oct QF4 Japan 3-26 South Africa (Tokyo) Match Report

Rugby World Cup Semi-Finals

Sat 26 Oct SF1 England v New Zealand (Yokohama) 9am

Sun 27 Oct SF2 Wales v South Africa (Yokohama) 9am

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