The Final (and 3rd place play off)

[BoyBrumby]

Good start to the build up for England as Willie Heinz is ruled out with a hamstring and Ben Spencer is called up to replace him and presumably gets a spot in the XXIII.

Always said we should've had three 9s in the squad...

 

[flibbertyjibber]

When is the 3rd/4th place sheep off?

 

[ripper868]

Day before the final.

 

[Athlai]

3rd place matches shouldn't exist outside of the Olympics.

 

[andruid]

Neither should actual bronze medals, bit here we are

 

[Athlai]

Neither should actual bronze medals, bit here we are

Odd take.

 

[Athlai]

Neither should actual bronze medals, bit here we are

Odd take.

 

[Prince EWS]

3rd place matches shouldn't exist outside of the Olympics.

Kind of agree, but technically they're also obviously fine in qualifying tournaments where >2 teams qualify. The World T20 Qualifier for example has a 5th and 6th place playoff because six teams qualify for the World T20.

 

[Athlai]

Kind of agree, but technically they're also obviously fine in qualifying tournaments where >2 teams qualify. The World T20 Qualifier for example has a 5th and 6th place playoff because six teams qualify for the World T20.

Sure but a qualifying tournament isn’t the same

 

[wpdavid]

3rd place matches shouldn't exist outside of the Olympics.

Agreed, and I suspect they're the last thing either set of players wants. I don't recall the world being a worse place before they were introduced.

 

[Heboric]

Back in the day the 3/4 playoff was used to determine an automatic qualification for the next World Cup. I am not sure its the case anymore

 

[StephenZA]

Back in the day the 3/4 playoff was used to determine an automatic qualification for the next World Cup. I am not sure its the case anymore

I have not heard any change to the automatic qualification rule for third place.

 

[Heboric]

I have not heard any change to the automatic qualification rule for third place.

According to this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place_playoff

The Rugby World Cup used to give automatic qualification to all teams in the top three of the ongoing tournament to the one that would follow it four years later thus making the third place playoff game important, but this was later scrapped after the 1999 edition of the tournament allowing teams outside the top three to automatically qualify depending on their IRB co-efficient in the rankings.

 

[Athlai]

No one should automatically qualify besides the hosts who should be selected from countries that are in the top 16 on the day the host country is drawn. There is no reason rugby should play less games that mean something. Particularly when there is zero chance any of the teams that reach the quarterfinals wouldn’t make it in to the top 16 of the world.

 

[GIMH]

Holders should automatically qualify IMO

 

[marc71178]

Don't the top 3 in each group automatically qualify? Don't see how anyone would benefit from for eaxmple, France playing Germany and Spain to qualify?

 

[Howe_zat]

Used to happen in the early days of qualifying.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Rugby_World_Cup_–_European_qualification

'Scotland XV' put 80+ on Spain and Portugal, the scots not willing to award caps for doing so.

Think the 90s experience might have soured the powers that be against top sides qualifying for good, which is a shame as the gap is much smaller than it was 20 years ago.

Anyway, it was boosted to 8 automatic qualifiers in 2003, and then 12 after 2007 (which stopped Ireland and Wales having to qualify, coincedentally...)

 

[Heboric]

Oh dear

Frenchman Jerome Garces has been appointed as referee for Saturday's Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and England in Yokohama.Kick-off is scheduled for 11:00 (SA time).
Garces will be assisted by compatriot Romain Poite and New Zealand's Ben O'Keeffe, with another Kiwi, Ben Skeen, the television match official (TMO).

https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyWorldCup2019/frenchman-to-ref-rugby-world-cup-final-20191029

But on a brighter note, all players in Bok squad fit including Kolbe at this point. Who knows what might happen in those dreaded cricket warm up games...

 

[wpdavid]

Oh dear



https://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyWorldCup2019/frenchman-to-ref-rugby-world-cup-final-20191029

But on a brighter note, all players in Bok squad fit including Kolbe at this point. Who knows what might happen in those dreaded cricket warm up games...

I read a piece after the England/NZ semi-final where the author was complaining that having a northern hemisphere referee disadvantaged the All Blacks due to different interpretations of some of the rules. The author then went on to say that a southern hemisphere referee would have disadvantaged England for the same reason. He then concluded that these matches should have a neutral referee who didn't originate from northern or southern hemisphere. At this point he lost me, unless he was suggesting that the referee should have come from an equatorial country.

 

[Howe_zat]

I read a piece after the England/NZ semi-final where the author was complaining that having a northern hemisphere referee disadvantaged the All Blacks due to different interpretations of some of the rules. The author then went on to say that a southern hemisphere referee would have disadvantaged England for the same reason. He then concluded that these matches should have a neutral referee who didn't originate from northern or southern hemisphere. At this point he lost me, unless he was suggesting that the referee should have come from an equatorial country.