The '2007 Rugby World Cup' is the sixth incarnation of the
Rugby World Cup, the
quadrennial international
rugby union world championship, inaugurated in 1987. It is being hosted by
France from
7 September to
20 October 2007. France won the right to host the event in 2003, beating a bid from
England. The competition is comprised of 48 matches over the 44 days. Ten cities throughout France will host 42 matches, while another four will be held in
Cardiff,
Wales, with the remaining two matches in
Edinburgh,
Scotland.
Twenty nations are competing for the
Webb Ellis Cup. The eight quarter-finalists from
2003 were granted automatic qualification, while twelve other nations gained entry through the regional qualifying competitions that began in 2004.
Portugal is the only debutant nation at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The competition opened in Saint-Denis with a match between
France and
Argentina.
Bids
The
Eiffel Tower in
Paris decorated with giant rugby ball for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Both England and France bid to become the host of the tournament.
[ England to launch bid for 2007 ][ World Cup bidding process underway ] The tender document for the 2007 bidding process was due out on
October 31,
2001. Both England and France were invited to re-submit their plans.
[ IRB clarifies World Cup bid situation ] The
International Rugby Board (IRB) stated that both countries must comply with tender document terms in one bid, but in their second option, could propose alternative ideas. The IRB stated that "England's original proposal contained three plans for hosting the tournament with a traditional, new and hybrid format all on offer... The French bid, while complying with the tender document in all other respects, fell outside one of the `windows` in which the IRB wanted to stage an event".
Englands bids included a two-tier tournament and altering the structure of the qualifying tournament and France had a bid in September/October.
It was announced in April 2003 that France had won the right to host the tournament.[ France wins right to host 2007 Rugby World Cup ] The tournament was moved to the proposed September-October dates with the tournament structure remaining as it was.[ It was also announced that ten French cities would be hosting games, with the final at the Stade de France.][ French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that "this decision illustrates the qualities of our country and its capacity to host major sporting events...This World Cup will be the opportunity to showcase the regions of France where the wonderful sport of rugby is deeply rooted".][ French Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour said that "The organisation of this World Cup will shine over all of France because 10 French towns have the privilege of organising matches and to be in the world`s spotlight."][ French cities to host games are Bordeaux, Lens, Lyon, Marseilles, Montpellier, Nantes, St. Etienne, Toulouse and Paris, and it was also announced that the final would be at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.]
Qualifying
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup qualifying
Nations participating in qualifying competition and those that have qualified automatically; Asia (purple), Africa (orange), Americas (green), Europe (blue) and Oceania (yellow). In total, over 90 nations took part.
The eight quarter-finalists from the 2003 Rugby World Cup all received automatic entry, with the other teams selected from a qualifying series around the world. Ten of the twenty positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers, with an additional two being filled by repechage qualification. The qualifying tournament was divided into five regional groups; Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.[ RWC 2007 Qualifying process ] Including the automatic qualifiers, over 90 nations were in qualifying contention for the final tournament.
In July 2005, both Samoa and Fiji were confirmed as the qualifiers from Oceania, as Oceania 1 and 2 respectively.[ Samoa and Fiji through to RWC 2007 ] In July of the following year, Argentina qualified as Americas 1 by defeating Uruguay 26-0 in Buenos Aires.[ Argentina qualify for Rugby World Cup 2007 ] Americas 2 was filled in August when Canada defeated the United States 56-7 in Newfoundland.[ Canada qualifies for RWC 2007 ] The United States went on to qualify as Americas 3 after beating Uruguay in a two-legged tie in early October.[ USA Eagles qualify for 2007 World Cup ] That month also saw Italy qualify as Europe 1 after defeating Russia 67-7 in Moscow, reaching the first place in its qualifying group; Romania defeated Spain 43-20 in Madrid, and also qualified for the World Cup as Europe 2.[ Italy and Romania qualify for RWC 2007 ]
Namibia qualified for their third consecutive World Cup after they earned their spot in France by defeating Morocco over two legs in November.[ Namibia qualify for Rugby World Cup ] In late 2006, it was announced that the IRB had withdrawn Colombo as the venue of the final Asian qualifying tournament due to security problems.[ IRB scraps Asian World Cup qualifiers in Sri Lanka ] Japan won the only Asian allocation after the tournament was moved to Hong Kong.[ Japan and Georgia qualify ] Georgia was 14 points the better of Portugal over two legs to claim the last European place.[ Tonga through to RWC 2007 finals ] The final spot in Pool C went to Portugal, after beating Uruguay 24-23 on aggregate. Portugal's qualification was the only change in the 20-team roster from the 2003 Rugby World Cup, replacing Uruguay, as they became the only wholly amateur team to qualify.
Nations
| 'Pool A' | 'Pool B' | 'Pool C' | 'Pool D' |
|---|
[1]
|
|
|
|
Hosting
The 2007 World Cup will be hosted by France, with additional venues at Edinburgh and Cardiff.
France won the right to host the 2007 World Cup in 2003, and it was subsequently announced that four matches would be held in Wales, at Cardiff's 74,500 Millennium Stadium (two Pool B games that involve the Welsh team, the match between Fiji and Canada, and a quarter-final). Ireland was set to host matches in Dublin at Lansdowne Road, but due to scheduling conflicts with the reconstruction of the stadium, opted out.[ Scotland looks to give up World cup matches at Murrayfield ]
Two Pool C matches are being held at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium. It was rumoured that these games might end up being played elsewhere,[ Wales expressed interest in acquiring Scotland's allocation of matches if they were to withdraw.][ Scots could disrupt World cup hosting plans ] but it was confirmed in April 2006 that Scotland would be hosting the games after all. The French venues are the same as those used for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. There are around 6,000 volunteers who will help organise the competition.[ Rugby World Cup volunteers gather at Disneyland Paris ] Organisers and volunteers gathered at Disneyland Resort Paris on March 18 to mark the start of the rugby celebrations.
Although the 2007 Rugby World Cup is the first tournament principally hosted by France, a number of matches during the 1991 and 1999 tournaments, which were primarily hosted by England and Wales respectively, were played in France. Pool D (which included France) matches were played throughout France including Béziers, Bayonne, Grenoble, Toulouse, Brive and Agen. Parc des Princes and Stadium Lille-Metropole also hosted a quarter-final each. Similarly, Pool C fixtures in 1999 were played throughout France in Béziers, Bordeaux and Toulouse.[ 1999 Rugby World Cup venues ] A second round match was held at Stade Félix Bollaert, and one quarter final was held at the Stade de France, both 2007 venues.
| City | Country | Stadium | Capacity | Further reading |
|---|
| Saint-Denis (Paris) | France | Stade de France | 80,000 | Overview |
| Cardiff | Wales | Millennium Stadium | 73,350 | Overview |
| Edinburgh | Scotland | Murrayfield | 68,000 | Overview |
| Marseille | France | Stade Vélodrome | 59,500 | Overview |
| Paris | France | Parc des Princes | 47,870 | Overview |
| Lens | France | Stade Félix Bollaert | 41,400 | Overview |
| Lyon | France | Stade Gerland | 41,100 | Overview |
| Nantes | France | Stade de la Beaujoire | 38,100 | Overview |
| Toulouse | France | Stadium de Toulouse | 35,700 | Overview |
| Saint-Étienne | France | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | 35,650 | Overview |
| Bordeaux | France | Stade Chaban-Delmas | 34,440 | Overview |
| Montpellier | France | Stade de la Mosson | 33,900 | Overview |
Tickets and sponsorship
The Official Rugby World Cup Shop.
Tickets for the Rugby World Cup were broken up into three phases. The first phase were released in November 2005, when members of the European rugby community, such as officials, players and so on were given the opportunity for various packages. Upon the release of the second phase ticketing scheme, more than 100,000 tickets were sold in the first ten hours of release.[ Rush For Rugby World Cup Tickets ] In early 2006, it was reported that 800,000 of the 2.4 million tickets had already been sold, on 6 September 2006 the one millionth ticket was sold.[ One millionth RWC ticket sold ] The remaining tickets were released in phase three in November 2006, being individual tickets and tickets to the semi-finals to an 'unprecedented demand'.
In June 2007 it was announced that of the 2.4 million tickets up for sale that 2 million had been sold.[ Unprecedented demand for RWC 2007 tickets ]
The Worldwide partners for the tournament are Société Générale, GMF, Électricité de France, Peugeot, Visa and SNCF,[ RWC 2007 Worldwide Partners ] and official sponsors include Heineken, Vediorbis, Capgemini, Orange, Toshiba and Emirates.[ RWC 2007 Sponsors ] Gilbert will be providing the tournament balls, the Gilbert Synergie match ball will be used throughout the tournament. This continues Gilbert's involvement with the World Cup, the company having provided the Barbarian (1995), Revolution (1999) and Xact (2003) balls in the past.[ Rugby World Cup 2007 ] Along with Gilbert, the official suppliers are Adidas, Coca-Cola, Clifford Chance, Good Year and McDonalds.[ RWC 2007 Suppliers ] The host broadcaster for the event is TVH.[3]
Squads
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup squads
Each country is allowed a squad of 30 players for the tournament. These squads were to be submitted to the International Rugby Board by a deadline of the 14 August 2007.[4] Once the squad is submitted a player may be replaced if injured, but will not be allowed to return to the squad.
Match officials
The 2007 Rugby World Cup officials were appointed in late-April 2007. 12 referees and 13 touch judges were announced as the officials for the tournament. Referees have been appointed to all pool games, but officials have yet to be announced for the knock-out stage. The 12 referees will also act as touch judges in the knock-out stage of the tournament. Referees come from seven different nationalities. There are 14 touch judges - from 10 different countries. Tony Spreadbury of England will be starting the 2007 World Cup, with the opening game between France and Argentina at the Stade de France.[ Referees Announced For World Cup ] Out of the 12 referees, three of them are making their Rugby World Cup debut.
Format
The competition will be contested over 44 days between 20 different nations, over 48 fixtures. The tournament began on September 7, at Stade de France with a match between the host nation, France, and Argentina. The tournament culminates at the same venue on October 20 for the Final to decide who wins the Webb Ellis Cup.
Pool stage
The 20 nations are split up into four pools, designated A through to D, each comprising five teams. Each pool has one semi-finalist and one quarter-finalist (automatic qualifiers) from the 2003 tournament, with the other three places filled via the qualification system. Each nation plays every other team in their pool once; each nation will therefore play four matches during the pool stage.
Classification within each pool is based on the following scoring system:
★ four match points for a win;
★ two for a draw;
★ none for a loss.[ Tournament Rules ]
Bonus points, contributing to a team's cumulative match-point score, are awarded in each of the following instances (one match point for each event):
★ a team scores four or more tries (regardless of the match result);
★ a team loses by seven points (a converted try) or fewer.
At the end of the pool stage, teams will be ranked from first to fifth based on cumulative match points, with the top two nations proceeding to the quarter-finals. If two or more teams are level on points a system of criteria, based on a detailed analysis of the matches which each team played, is used to determine the higher rank.
Knock-out stage
From this stage onwards, the tournament adopts a knock-out format comprising eight fixtures: four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a bronze medal match, and the final. The winner and runner-up from each of the four pools advance to the quarter-finals. Pool winners are drawn against opposite pool runners-up in the quarter-finals, e.g. the winner of Pool A faces the runner up of Pool B, and the winner of Pool B face the runner-up of Pool A.
Each match in the knock-out stage must conclude in a victory. If, after eighty minutes of normal play, a match results in a draw, further play is made to determine an outright winner. Initially, there will be two periods of extra time, 10 minutes each way; if there is no winner after this, then play proceeds to a single 10 minute period of 'sudden death' play. If the contest is unresolved after a total 110 minutes of open play, the winner will be determined by a placekicking competition.
Effect on 2011 qualification
In a change from the format of the previous tournament, the top three teams in each pool will qualify for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand;[5] previously, only the eight quarter-finalists gained an automatic place in the following tournament. The four semi-finalists, assuming the next host New Zealand is one, will be seeded for the 2011 tournament.
Pool stage
All times French time (UTC+2)
Pool A
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup - Pool A
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus
Points | Table
Points |
|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
|---|
| 1 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 7 | +52 | 1 | '5' |
| 2 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 10 | +18 | 0 | '4' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
| 4 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 28 | -18 | 0 | '0' |
| 5 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 59 | -52 | 0 | '0' |
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Pool B
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup - Pool B
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus
Points | Table
Points |
|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
|---|
| 1 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 3 | +88 | 1 | '5' |
| 2 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 17 | +25 | 1 | '5' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
| 4 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 42 | -25 | 0 | '0' |
| 5 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 91 | -88 | 0 | '0' |
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Pool C
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup - Pool C
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus
Points | Table
Points |
|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
|---|
| 1 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 14 | 62 | 1 | '5' |
| 2 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 10 | +46 | 1 | '5' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
| 4 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 56 | -46 | 0 | '0' |
| 5 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 76 | -62 | 0 | '0' |
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Pool D
Main articles: 2007 Rugby World Cup - Pool D
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus
Points | Table
Points |
|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference |
|---|
| 1 | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 0 | '4' |
| 2 | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 1 | '1' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
| 3 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | '0' |
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Knock-out stage
Quarter-finals
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Semi-finals
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Bronze final
Final
Statistics
Top ten point scorers
Top ten try scorers
See also
★ 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up tests
References
1. Automatic qualifier (quarter finalists in 2003).
2. As well as being an automatic qualifer due to making the quarter finals in 2003, France are the hosts.
3. TVH Website
4. Tonga reveal squad for World Cup
5. New qualifying structure - 2011
External links
★ France2007 Official website of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
★ ITV Rugby World Cup - Official TV Broadcast website for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
★ France2007.fr Official website of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
★ IRB.com International Rugby Board official site.
★ Planet Rugby News
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