Get Newsletter

How the tournament will work

Qualifying stages

ADVERTISEMENT

The top three teams in each pool of the 2011 World Cup received automatic qualification to the 2015 World Cup – with the eight remaining spots filled up by regional-based qualification.

Pool Stages

Twenty teams that qualified for the 2015 World Cup – with four groups of five teams.

The five teams in each pool will be taking on each other once.

The top two of each pool will move on to the quaterfinals – with the third place qualifying for the 2019 World Cup.

The pool stages will take place from September 18 until October 11.

ADVERTISEMENT

Knock-out stagesHow the tournament will work

Their will be eight teams that will qualify to the knock-out stages.

The quaterfinals will be taking place over two days – with Twickenham and the Millennium stadium being used.

The knock-out stages will be taking place from October 17 until October 30.

ADVERTISEMENT

Quaterfinals

17 October 2015:

Winner of Pool B v Runner-up of Pool A

Winner of Pool C v Runner-up of Pool D

18 October 2015:

Winner of Pool D v Runner-up of Pool C

Winner of Pool A v Runner-up of Pool B

 

The semifinals will be taking place on October 24 and October 25 – with Twickenham hosting both semifinals.

October 24: Winner of quarterfinal one v winner of quarterfinal two

October 25: Winner of quarterfinal three v winner of quarterfinal four

The Bronze medal match will be taking place on October 30 at the Olympic Staduim.

The loser of semifinal one v loser of semifinal two

The Final will be taking place on October 31 – with Twickenham the venue

Winner of semifinal one v winner of semifinal two

Match points systemHow the tournament will work

The following number of mpoints will be awarded for each pool phase Match:

Win = four points

Draw = two points

Loss = zero points

Four or more tries = one point

Loss by seven points or less = one point

No Match points will be awarded to a team which has been expelled from the tournament, refuses to play a match or abandons a match in progress, without direction from match officials or the match commissioner, subject always to the provisions of the terms of participation. Should this occur, the opponent in that match shall be awarded a win and therefore four match points. For the avoidance of doubt, bonus points will not be awarded.

Where a team is expelled from the tournament, it shall forfeit all match points previously awarded and its opponents in each match previously played shall be awarded four match points (which shall replace any match points previously awarded from the particular match). All points scored for and against in these matches shall be discounted in the official pool rankings and team records used for tournament purposes.

Rankings at the completion of the pool phase

At the completion of the pool phase, the teams in a pool are ranked one through five based on their cumulative mpoints, and identified respectively as winner, runner-up, third, fourth and fifth.

If at the completion of the pool phase two or more teams are level on match points, then the following criteria shall be used in the following order until one of the Teams can be determined as the higher ranked:

1. The winner of the match in which the two tied teams have played each other shall be the higher ranked.

2. The team which has the best difference between points scored for and points scored against in all its pool matches shall be the higher ranked.

3. The team which has the best difference between tries scored for and tries scored against in all its pool matches shall be the higher ranked.

4. The team which has scored most points in all its pool matches shall be the higher ranked.

5. The team which has scored most tries in all its pool matches shall be the higher ranked.

6. Should the tie be unresolved at the conclusion of steps one through five, the rankings as per the updated official world rugby world rankings on October 12, 2015 will determine the higher ranked team.

Tied MatchesHow the tournament will work

Pool phase

Tied Matches will be considered as a draw in the pool phase and no winner determined through additional rules. This means that each Team is awarded two Match points for the drawn Match plus any bonus point earned for scoring four or more tries.

Knock out Matches

For quarterfinals, semifinals, Bronze Final and the Final, if Teams are tied at fulltime, then the winner shall be determined through the following sequential criteria;

Extra time

Following an interval of 5 minutes, extra time of 10 minutes each way (with an interval of 5 minutes) shall be played in full. For the avoidance of doubt, Teams must remain on the Field of Play. The Match Referee will conduct a coin toss during the 5 minute interval to determine which Team will kick off and the direction of play. Team B will call the toss and the Team captain who wins the coin toss can either:

1. Nominate to kick off, therefore the other Team must choose the direction they will play

2. Nominate their preferred direction of play, therefore the other Team must kick off

Sudden death

If the scores are tied at the conclusion of extra time, and following an interval of 5 minutes, then a further extra time of 10 minutes maximum shall be played. At the end of extra time, Teams swap ends and whichever Team kicked off the first half of extra time also kicks off sudden death. During this period the first Team to score any points shall be declared the winner (sudden death);

Kicking competitionHow the tournament will work

If after this sudden death period no winner can be declared, a kicking competition will be organised between the two Teams. The winner of that competition shall be declared the winner of the Match.

Presentation of the final score in tied Matches

For Matches completed at the end of extra time or during the sudden death period of play, the final score will be presented as the score at the time at which the Match was completed (that is, including extra time or sudden death).

For Matches completed through the organisation of a kicking competition, the final score shall be presented as the Match score at the completion of the sudden death period, followed in brackets by the notification of the winner of the Match and the score in the kicking competition.

1.1.6 Kicking competition

If at the end of a knock out Match, after extra time and sudden death periods of play have been completed, the Teams remain tied, then the referee will conduct a place-kick competition to determine the winner of the Match. RWCL will predetermine which end the kicking competition will take place in order to simplify relocation of photographers and ensure the best broadcast coverage of the kicking competition.

The following procedures apply:

1. All players and Match Officials will remain on the playing enclosure. The referee will call the captains of the two Teams to the centre of the playing enclosure and will conduct a coin toss. As per Section 6.8.2 Team B will call the toss. The winner of the coin toss will choose which Team kicks first.

2. Only players on the playing enclosure at the time of the completion of the sudden death period may take part in the kicking competition. For the avoidance of doubt, no substituted (including for injury and/or blood), ordered off or temporarily suspended player not on the field at the completion of the sudden death period may take part in the kicking competition at any time. The five players selected and the order in which they kick must be specified to the referee by the start of the kicking competition.

3. The Match Officials and Team Members will assemble on the halfway line. Team Members must remain behind the halfway line in the side of the playing area not being used for the kicking competition. No one except the referee, two assistant referees and two ball boys is allowed in the part of the playing area being used for the competition.

4. The five players from each Team will place kick from three different areas, all on the 22 metre line, as follows:

First area: Directly in front of the posts

Second area: On the 15 metre line on the left hand side of the posts (determined as facing the posts)

Third area: On the 15 metre line on the right hand side of the posts (determined as facing the posts)

5. The referee will start the competition by calling the first player selected from the Team kicking first to the first kicking point. Once the player has taken the kick, the referee calls a player from the opposing Team to kick from the same area.

6. The next two players (one from each Team) will kick from the second area in turn. This will continue until all five players from each Team have kicked (the next players kicking respectively from the third area, first area and finally the second area), or until one Team is unable to equal the score of the other Team within the remaining number of kicks.

7. If there is an equal number of successful kicks once each Team has completed its five kicks, the competition continues on a “sudden death” basis, following the same order of kickers used in the first five kicks.

8.The competition will continue two kicks at a time (one from each Team), going progressively through the three kicking areas stated above (and repeating the process if necessary) until one player succeeds with a kick and the player from the other side taking the same kick misses it. Once this occurs, the Team of the player who succeeded with the kick will be declared the winner.

9. Throughout the kicking competition:

 9.1 Players must be nominated immediately on request by the referee. Once a player has been handed the ball on the kicking area, he must take the kick within one minute. Should he take longer, the referee shall declare the kick void.

9.2 After each kick, the referee will record the number of the player and whether or not the attempt was successful. The Match Commissioner will record the same details on the official Match report.

9.3 Whether or not the kick is successful is the sole decision of the referee, who may at his sole discretion rely on the assistance of his assistant referees and/or the TMO. The referee’s decision shall be final and binding.

9.4 Once a player has completed his kick, he shall return to stand with his Team behind the halfway line in the side of the playing area not being used for the kicking competition.

@rugby365com & @rugbyworldcup

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Write A Comment