Find out who will play who in the group stages at the tournament in New Zealand
Rugby World Cup 2021 Pool Draw
The pool draw has been made for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand – to be played in 2022.
The draw was made by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and three World Cup winners – former Black Ferns captain Farah Palmer, ex-New Zealand flanker Melodie Robinson and All Blacks legend Dan Carter in Auckland.
The draw: Jacinda Ardern, Farah Palmer, host Laura McGoldrick, Melodie Robinson and Dan Carter (Getty Images)
Hosts and defending champions Black Ferns have been drawn in Pool A with trans-Tasman rivals Australia, Wales and the Final Qualification Tournament winner, which was Scotland.
Pool B consists of North American teams Canada and the USA as well as Europe 1 and Asia 1 – Italy and Japan.
England, who were runners-up at RWC 2017 in Belfast, have been drawn in Pool C with France, South Africa and Fiji.
Red Roses centre Amber Reed said: “We’ve gone toe to toe with France over the last few years so that will be a tough match. South Africa and Fiji bring something new and exciting that we haven’t experienced before. There’s a nice mix in the group.”
The tournament, which is the first women’s Rugby World Cup to take place in the southern hemisphere, takes place from 8 October to 12 November 2022. Matches will be played at Waitakere Stadium, Northland Events Centre and Eden Park.
The qualification matches for RWC 2021 were delayed repeatedly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but they were eventually completed in early 2022, when Scotland beat Colombia in Dubai to secure the final place at the World Cup.
That came after Italy had secured the Europe 1 spot at a round-robin qualifying tournament in Parma, with Ireland surprisingly missing out on a place after going in as favourites.
Japan qualified as the highest-ranked team in Asia after the Asia Rugby Championship, also involving Hong Kong and Kazakhstan, couldn’t be played in time due to repeated postponements.
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