Pool B of the 2019 Rugby World Cup began on 21 September 2019. The pool included title holders New Zealand and third-placed team from 2015 South Africa, while Italy also joined the pool after finishing third in their pool in 2015. They were joined by the African qualifier, Namibia, and the repechage winner, Canada. [1]
Neither of the final two matches in the pool were played due to the effects of Typhoon Hagibis; New Zealand were a point behind South Africa, who had played all four of their matches, going into the final game against Italy, so the two points awarded for the cancelled match saw New Zealand take top spot in the pool, while Italy finished third behind South Africa. Neither Namibia nor Canada managed a win in their first three matches, and the cancellation of their final match meant they finished level on points, with Namibia finishing higher on points difference.
Pool B started with New Zealand beating South Africa 23–13. New Zealand opened their scoring with two tries in four minutes from George Bridge and Scott Barrett giving New Zealand a 17–3 lead at half-time. Pieter-Steph du Toit scored a converted try to bring the score back to 17–10 but two penalties from Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett sealed the result. [2] In Higashiōsaka, Italy conceded an early try against Namibia before running away with a bonus-point victory by 25 points. [3] Italy earned a second bonus-point victory in Fukuoka, scoring seven tries in a 48–7 demolition of Canada. [4] Over in Toyota, South Africa defeated Namibia by 54 points, scoring nine tries while Namibia could manage only a Cliven Loubser penalty in the 23rd minute. [5] New Zealand recorded their second victory of the World Cup with a 63–0 victory over Canada at Ōita Stadium. For New Zealand, Brad Weber scored his first two tries in international rugby with the Barrett brothers (Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Scott Barrett) each scoring a try as they became first trio of brothers to start for New Zealand. [6]
New Zealand would continue their demolition of their opponents with a 62-point win over Namibia in Chōfu, with the floodgates opening in the second half after Namibia restricted the All Blacks to 24 points in the first half. Sevu Reece, Ben Smith and Anton Lienert-Brown scoring two tries in the match. [7] Between the two New Zealand games, South Africa romped over Italy with Cheslin Kolbe scoring two tries as the South Africans won 49–3 in Fukuroi. [8] This was followed by a 66–7 victory over Canada with Cobus Reinach scoring the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, with his three tries being scored in a space of 11 minutes. [9] The final two matches of the group would not be played as Typhoon Hagibis would see the cancellation of the New Zealand–Italy and Namibia–Canada matches. [10] [11] At the end of the pool stage, New Zealand finished on top of the table with South Africa finishing second. [12]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 157 | 22 | +135 | 22 | 2 | 16 | Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 |  South Africa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 36 | +149 | 27 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 |  Italy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 78 | +20 | 14 | 2 | 12 | Eliminated but qualified for 2023 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 |  Namibia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 175 | −141 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Canada | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 177 | −163 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All times are local Japan Standard Time (UTC+09)
| 21 September 2019 18:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| New Zealand | 23–13 | South Africa |
| Try: Bridge 24' c S. Barrett 27' c Con: Mo'unga (2/2) 25', 28' Pen: Mo'unga (2/3) 23', 67' B. Barrett (1/1) 72' | Report | Try: P. du Toit 48' c Con: Pollard (1/1) 49' Pen: Pollard (1/2) 2' Drop: Pollard (1/1) 59' |
| International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama Attendance: 63,649 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
       New Zealand |     South Africa |
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 22 September 2019 14:15 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) Italy | 47–22 | Namibia |
| Try: Penalty try 11' Allan 26' c Tebaldi 40+1' c Bellini 44' c Canna 47' c Polledri 70' m Minozzi 76' c Con: Allan (3/3) 27', 40+2', 45' Canna (2/3) 48', 77' | Report | Try: Stevens 6' c Greyling 57' m Plato 79' c Con: Loubser (2/3) 7', 80' Pen: Loubser (1/1) 51' |
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium, Higashiōsaka Attendance: 20,354 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) |
   Italy |    Namibia |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 26 September 2019 16:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) Italy | 48–7 | Canada |
| Try: Steyn 8' c Budd 13' c Negri 44' c Penalty try 59' Bellini 62' m Zani 73' c Minozzi 79' m Con: Allan (3/4) 9', 14', 45' Canna (1/2) 74' Pen: Allan (1/1) 3' | Report | Try: Coe 69' c Con: Nelson (1/1) 71' |
| Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium, Fukuoka Attendance: 16,984 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
   Italy |      Canada |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 28 September 2019 18:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) South Africa | 57–3 | Namibia |
| Try: Mbonambi (2) 10' c, 17' c Louw 15' m Mapimpi (2) 27' m, 54' c Am 42' c Gelant 48' c Kolisi 59' m Brits 64' c Con: E. Jantjies (6/9) 11', 19', 43', 50', 55', 66' | Report | Pen: Loubser (1/2) 24' |
| City of Toyota Stadium, Toyota Attendance: 36,449 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) |
  South Africa | Namibia |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
| 2 October 2019 19:15 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 63–0 | Canada |
| Try: Penalty try 5' J. Barrett 9' c Williams 17' c B. Barrett 36' c Ioane 41' c S. Barrett 45' c Frizell 47' c Weber (2) 50' c, 57' c Con: Mo'unga (8/8) 10', 19', 37', 43', 46', 49', 51', 59' | Report |
| Oita Stadium, Ōita Attendance: 34,411 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
New Zealand | Canada |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 4 October 2019 18:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) South Africa | 49–3 | Italy |
| Try: Kolbe (2) 6' c, 53' m Mbonambi 27' c Am 58' c Mapimpi 68' c Snyman 76' m Marx 80+3' m Con: Pollard (4/7) 7', 28', 60', 69' Pen: Pollard (2/2) 12', 51' | Report | Pen: Allan (1/1) 9' |
| Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi Attendance: 44,148 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
South Africa | Italy |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 6 October 2019 13:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) New Zealand | 71–9 | Namibia |
| Try: Reece (2) 6' m, 53' c Lienert-Brown (2) 21' m, 47' c Ta'avao 36' c B. Smith (2) 40+5' c, 68' c Moody 42' m Whitelock 56' c J. Barrett 76' c Perenara 79' m Con: J. Barrett (8/11) 37', 40+6', 44', 48', 53', 57', 69', 77' | Report | Pen: Stevens (3/3) 3', 26', 30' |
| Tokyo Stadium, Chōfu Attendance: 48,354 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France) |
New Zealand | Namibia |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
| 8 October 2019 19:15 JST (UTC+09) |
| (1 BP) South Africa | 66–7 | Canada |
| Try: De Allende 3' c Nkosi 6' m Reinach (3) 10' c, 18' c, 21' c Gelant 28' c Steyn 40'+1 c Brits 55' c Willemse 66' c Malherbe 73' m Con: E. Jantjies (8/10) 3', 12', 20', 22', 29', 40'+2, 56', 68' | Report | Try: Heaton 46' c Con: Nelson (1/1) 48' |
| Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe Attendance: 28,014 Referee: Luke Pearce (England) |
South Africa | Canada |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player of the Match: Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 12 October 2019 13:45 JST (UTC+09) |
| New Zealand | 0–0 (Cancelled) | Italy |
| City of Toyota Stadium, Toyota Referee: Luke Pearce (England) |
Assistant referees: |
Notes:
| 13 October 2019 12:15 JST (UTC+09) |
| Namibia | 0–0 (Cancelled) | Canada |
| Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium, Kamaishi Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) |
Namibia | Canada |
|  |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant referees: |
Notes:
The Namibia national rugby union team represents Namibia in men's international rugby union competitions nicknamed the Welwitschias, are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system, and have participated in seven Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union.
Rugby World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby World Cup tournament was held in 1987.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match was played at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, with the final match being held at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama. This was the first time that the tournament had taken place in Asia and outside the traditional Tier 1 rugby nations.
Namibia has competed in seven Rugby World Cup tournaments, having qualified as the African representative. The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias after the Namibian national symbol, made their first appearance at the Rugby World Cup in 1999 and appeared at the following six tournaments. Namibia has so far played 26 games at that cup without ever winning one.
Italy have competed in all the Rugby World Cup tournaments, having made their first appearance in the inaugural 1987 tournament. They have finished third in their pool at every tournament, except in 1999, the only tournament where they lost more than two games. Having never finished in the top two in their pool, they have never qualified to progress to the quarter-finals. They have won the most matches of those that have never made it to the quarter-finals.
The Canada national rugby union team has played in every Rugby World Cup except 2023 since the inaugural tournament in 1987. Their best performance was in 1991, when they beat Fiji and Romania, qualifying for the quarter-finals, where they lost to New Zealand.
Beauden John Barrett is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a fly half for Japan Rugby League One club Toyota Verblitz and for the New Zealand national team.
Jacobus Meyer Reinach is a South African professional rugby union player who plays for the Top 14 side Montpellier and South Africa national team. His playing position is scrum-half and he is the son of former Springbok winger Jaco Reinach. He was the member of the victorious Springbok team who won at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Yokohama.
Scott Kevin Barrett is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who currently plays as a lock for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cup. Barrett was chosen as the Crusaders' Captain for the 2020 Super Rugby season.
Richie Mo'unga is a New Zealand professional rugby union player who plays as a first five-eighth for Japan Rugby League One club Toshiba Brave Lupus and the New Zealand national team.
This article documents the statistics of the 2015 Rugby World Cup which took place in England from 18 September to 31 October.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup final was a rugby union match to determine the winner of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, played between reigning champions New Zealand and their rivals Australia on 31 October 2015 at Twickenham Stadium in London. New Zealand beat Australia 34–17, winning the World Cup for a record third time, and becoming the first team to retain the Webb Ellis Cup. The 51 points scored in this final is the highest of all Rugby World Cup finals.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup final was a rugby union match played on 2 November 2019 at the International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama, Japan. It marked the culmination of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and was played between England and South Africa, a rematch of the 2007 Rugby World Cup final.
Jordan Matthew Barrett is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a utility back internationally for New Zealand's All Blacks, and for the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby competition. Having previously been an apprentice for the All Black squad in 2016, Barrett was first selected for New Zealand in 2017, making his debut against Samoa in a warm-up test prior to the British & Irish Lions series.
This article documents the statistics of the 2019 Rugby World Cup which was held in Japan from 20 September to 2 November.
Pool A of the 2023 Rugby World Cup began on 8 September 2023 and concluded on 6 October 2023. The pool included hosts France and previous three-time champions New Zealand, along with Italy, Uruguay and Namibia. Hosts France and New Zealand, whom France had defeated in the opening match, qualified from the pool.
Pool B of the 2023 Rugby World Cup began on 9 September 2023 and concluded on 8 October 2023. The pool included holders and world-number-two ranked side South Africa, fellow automatic qualifiers and world-number-one-ranked side Ireland, and world-number-five-ranked side Scotland. They are joined by Romania and Tonga. It was widely referred to as the "group of death." Ireland topped the group and South Africa placed second, thus allowing both teams to progress.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup final was a rugby union match played on 28 October 2023 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. It marked the culmination of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and was played between New Zealand and South Africa, with the latter winning by a single point to claim their fourth Webb Ellis Cup, becoming the first nation to do so. South Africa became the first team to ever win back to back Rugby World Cup tournaments away from home, with Siya Kolisi the first ever captain to accomplish the away double.
The knockout stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup is the second and final stage of the competition, following the pool stage. Played from 14 to 28 October, the knockout stage will end with the final, held at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The top two teams from each pool advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. There will be 8 matches in the knockout stage, including a third-place play-off played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals.
This article documents the statistics of the 2023 Rugby World Cup that was held in France from 8 September to 28 October.
