With just one more week of pool matches before the Rugby World Cup enters the pointy end of the tournament, there’s still plenty at play across each of the four pools.
A bit confused about who can qualify, who’s knocked out completely and what needs to happen for each team to get through? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with every permutation for the weekend ahead.
NB: Head-to-head records will separate teams who are level on points in the first instance, while if three sides finish even then points difference is used to select the top team, before it reverts to head-to-head for the two remaining nations.
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POOL A
Current standings France 13 points, New Zealand 10, Italy 10, Urugay 5, Namibia 0
France:
– A win over Italy will see France top Pool A (17 points + any bonus points)
– A loss with two bonus points will also secure top spot (15) provided Italy do not get a try-bonus point in victory (14), but they will still qualify second
– A loss to Italy with two losing bonus points (15), with Italy earning a bonus point (15) and New Zealand defeating Uruguay with bonus points (15) would see France knocked out due to points differential and head-to-head rule
– A loss without bonus points and a New Zealand win over Uruguay would knock France out of the tournament (13)
New Zealand:
– A bonus-point win over Uruguay will secure a quarterfinal berth (15)
– A win over Uruguay without a bonus point will see New Zealand (14) qualify, as long as Italy do not beat France with a bonus point (15) and France do not secure a bonus point (14) due to head-to-head rule
– A win over Uruguay with a bonus point (15), alongside an Italy bonus point (15) win with France earning two losing bonus points (15), would see New Zealand qualify top of the pool due to better points differential
– A loss to Uruguay without any bonus points (10), plus an Italy win (14) over France would knock New Zealand out of the tournament
Italy:
– A bonus point win over France (15) as well as denying France any losing bonus points and a New Zealand win (14 +BP) over Uruguay would see Italy qualify for the quarterfinals
– A win without bonus points (14), alongside France securing two losing bonus points (15) and a New Zealand win (14 +BP) over Uruguay will knock Italy out of the tournament due to head-to-head
– A loss to France as well as a New Zealand win over Uruguay will knock Italy out of the tournament
– A New Zealand win over Uruguay with a bonus point (15), alongside an Italy bonus point (15) win over France with two losing bonus points (15), would see New Zealand qualify top of the pool due to better points differential alongside Italy who would knock France out on the head-to-head rule
– A point will confirm Italy’s qualification for RWC 2027
Uruguay:
– Uruguay must beat New Zealand with a bonus point, and by at least 80 points, and will need France to defeat Italy in order to qualify for the quarterfinals
– A loss to New Zealand will knock them out of contention
Namibia:
– Namibia can not qualify for the quarterfinals after they finished the tournament on zero points
POOL B
Current standings South Africa 15 points, Ireland 14, Scotland 10, Tonga 0, Romania 0
South Africa:
– South Africa (15 points) will finish top of Pool B if Scotland (15) defeat Ireland and deny Ireland a bonus point (14)
– South Africa (15) qualify second for quarterfinals if Ireland (18 + BP) defeat Scotland (10 + BP)
– If Scotland defeat Ireland by 21 points (15) and Ireland get a bonus point (15), South Africa (15) would fail to qualify due to head-to-head rule
Ireland:
– Ireland will guarantee top spot if they secure two points from their match against Scotland (16)
– If Ireland get a losing bonus point (15) and Scotland do not get a bonus point (14), Ireland will top the pool on the head-to-head rule
– A loss without a bonus point will see Ireland fail to qualify for quarterfinals
Scotland:
– Scotland must defeat Ireland (14) and deny Ireland a bonus point (14) to finish second on the head-to-head rule and qualify for quarters
– If Scotland win with a bonus point (15) and Ireland secure a bonus point (15), points differential will determine who will top Pool B, with head-to-head to determine who finishes second
– Scotland must win by 21 points or more to claim top spot ahead of South Africa
– A loss will see Scotland fail to qualify for quarterfinals
Tonga:
– Tonga can not qualify for the quarterfinals as they sit on zero points and play Romania
Romania:
– Romania can not qualify for the quarterfinals as they sit on zero points and will play Tonga
POOL C
Current standings Wales 14, Australia 11, Fiji 10, Georgia 3, Portugal 2
Wales:
– Wales have already qualified for the quarterfinals, and will qualify top of the Pool C if they secure just one point (15) against Georgia
– A loss without a bonus point (14) and a Fiji bonus point (15) win over Portugal will see Wales finish second in the pool
Australia:
– Australia (11) need Fiji to lose to Portugal without a bonus point (10) to qualify for quarterfinals
– If Fiji secure at least one point (11) against Portugal Australia will not qualify for quarterfinals
Fiji:
– Fiji need to earn just one point (11) to secure a quarterfinal berth
– If Fiji lose without a bonus point (10) they will fail to qualify for quarterfinals
Georgia:
– Georgia can not qualify for the quarterfinals as they sit on three points and face Wales
Portugal:
– Portugal can not qualify for quarterfinals as they sit on two points and face Fiji
POOL D
Current standings England 14, Argentina 9, Japan 9, Samoa 6, Chile 0
England:
– England (14) have already qualified for quarterfinals and will top pool D no matter this weekend’s results
Argentina:
– A win over Japan will earn Argentina (13 + BP) a quarterfinal spot
– A draw with both sides earning BP would see Argentina qualify on points differential
– A draw with Japan securing a BP (12) would knock Argentina (11) out of the tournament
– A draw without either side earning a BP and Samoa losing to England would see Argentina qualify on points differential
– A loss to Japan would knock Argentina out of the tournament
Japan:
– A win over Argentina will earn Japan (13+ BP) a quarterfinal spot
– A draw with both sides earning a BP would see Japan knocked out on points differential
– A draw with Japan securing a bonus point (12) would secure a quarterfinal place
– A draw without either side earning a BP and Samoa losing to England would knock Japan out
– A loss would knock Japan out
Samoa:
– Samoa must win by 29 points over England and get a bonus point (11) with Argentina and Japan drawing without bonus points (11) for Samoa to qualify second on points differential
– A win by less than 29 points will see Samoa knocked out
– A loss will see Samoa knocked out
Chile:
– Chile can not qualify for the quarterfinals as they end the tournament on zero points