Rugby World Cup Pool Seedings Confirmed As Latest World Rankings Released
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Ireland will enter the Rugby World Cup 2019 pool draw in the top band of seeds for the first time since they were based on the World Rugby Rankings following Saturday’s 13-9 win over England.
By ending England’s bid for back-to-back Grand Slams and a world record 19th consecutive test victories, Ireland cemented their fourth place in the rankings, ensuring they are in the same band as New Zealand, England and Australia for the draw.
The win over England earned Ireland 1.48 rating points to take them on to 84.66 – 1.69 behind third-placed Australia. France gained 0.79 of a point and two places to move up to sixth in the rankings thanks to their controversial win over Wales.
The RWC 2019 draw bands for the 12 directly qualified teams are as follows:
Band 1: New Zealand, England, Australia, Ireland
Band 2: Scotland, France, South Africa, Wales
Band 3: Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Italy
The pool draw for RWC 2019 takes place in Kyoto, Japan, on 10 May.
