2021 Rugby World Cup qualifying

Last updated
2021 Rugby World Cup qualifying
Tournament details
Dates2017 – 2022
No. of nations30
← 2017
2025 →

The qualification process for the 2021 Rugby World Cup began on 9 August 2019 with 12 teams qualifying to the tournament which was to be held in New Zealand. [1] The 2021 Rugby World Cup was postponed by one year in March 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]

Contents

Map of qualification showing all regions 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup Qualification.png
Map of qualification showing all regions

Qualification process

Qualification status: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Qualified for the 2021 Rugby World Cup. Failed to qualify. Withdrew or suspended. 2021 Rugby World Cup qualification.svg
Qualification status:
  Qualified for the 2021 Rugby World Cup.
  Failed to qualify.
  Withdrew or suspended.

Following the previous World Cup, seven teams received an automatic qualification berth - these berths being given to the top 7 teams (New Zealand, England, France, United States, Canada, Australia and Wales). The remaining five berths for the tournament will be awarded through regional tournaments.

The non-automatic qualification process began on 9 August 2019.

Regional qualification

Twelve nations are participating in the 2021 Rugby World Cup. Seven teams qualified automatically by virtue of their performance at the previous tournament, leaving five teams to qualify through regional matches.

RegionAutomatic qualifiersTeams in qualifying processQualifying
places		Qualified teamsWorld Cup pools
Africa041Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa C
Americas220Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada (AQ)
Flag of the United States.svg  United States (AQ)		B
B
Asia071Flag of Japan.svg  Japan B
Europe361Flag of England.svg  England (AQ)
Flag of France.svg  France (AQ)
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales (AQ)		C
C
B
A
Oceania241Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia (AQ)
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand (AQ)		A
C
A
Final Qualification Tournament041Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland A
TOTAL7235--

Qualification process

Africa

Rugby Africa was granted one spot which was awarded to the winner of the Rugby Africa Women's Cup (Africa 1). The runner-up (Africa 2) progressed to a cross-regional Final Qualification play-off against the South American winner. South Africa qualified by winning all three of their matches while Kenya competed in the South America/Africa play-off. [3]

Qualifies as Africa 1
Advances to the South America/Africa play-off as Africa 2
PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 33002017+19415
2Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 32017249+2310
3Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 301220123-1032
4Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 301227141-1142

Americas

Rugby Americas North was not granted a spot to the World Cup, but Sudamérica Rugby allowed South America 1, the winner of a match between Colombia and Brazil to compete against the runner-up of the 2019 Rugby Africa Women's Cup for a place in the Final Qualification tournament. [4]

9 March 2020 Colombia  Flag of Colombia.svg23–19Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Medellín  
Report  [5]

Colombia moved on to the South America/Africa play-off against Kenya (Africa 2), who were runners-up of the 2019 Rugby Africa Women's Cup. The match was originally planned for 18 April, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asia

Asia Rugby was granted one spot, Asia 1, to the highest ranked team in the 2021 Asia Rugby Women's Championship (ARWC). Japan and Hong Kong, the two teams from the 2017 World Cup, were joined by the winner of the 2019 playoff for promotion to the tournament. The runner-up of the tournament progressed to the Final Qualification as Asia 2.

The winner of the 2019 Asia Division I Championship progressed to the playoff for promotion to the ARWC against Kazakhstan.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
19 June – Calamba
 
 
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 7
 
22 June – Calamba
 
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 59
 
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 68
 
19 June – Calamba
 
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 0
 
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 32
 
 
Flag of India.svg  India 27
 
Third place
 
 
22 June – Calamba
 
 
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 19
 
 
Flag of India.svg  India 21

As winners, China faced Kazakhstan in two matches. The team with the highest aggregate score qualified for the ARWC.

31 July 2019 China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg13–8Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Jiujiang Stadium, Jiangxi 
3 August 2019 China  Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg0–15Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Jiujiang Stadium, Jiangxi 

With an aggregate score of 13–23, Kazakhstan qualified for the ARWC.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed several times, originally from 14 to 22 March 2020 to 8–16 May 2020, then to November 2020, then to 5–13 March 2021, then to 2–12 October 2021 and then finally cancelled altogether. [6]

Qualifies as Asia 1
Advances to the Final Qualification Tournament as Asia 2
PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 00000000
2Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 00000000
3Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong 00000000

Due to quarantine challenges, Japan were awarded qualification to the World Cup for being highest in the World Rankings. Hong Kong and Kazakhstan were scheduled to play a single qualification match to advance to the Final Qualification. The Asia Rugby Women's Championship did not take place; Hong Kong withdrew due to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kazakhstan qualified automatically as Asia 2 for the Final Qualification Tournament. [7]

Europe

Rugby Europe was granted one spot to the highest ranked team in a qualifying tournament (Europe 1) consisting of Six Nations sides that had not already qualified automatically from the previous World Cup, and the winner of the 2020 Rugby Europe Women's Championship. As England, France and Wales had qualified automatically, the tournament consisted of Ireland, Italy and Scotland, along with winner of the European Championship consisting of the Netherlands, Russia and Spain. The runner-up of the tournament progressed to the Final Qualification as Europe 2.

Advances to the European Qualification Tournament
PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 22001437+13611
2Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 21013477–434
3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 200221114–931
8 March 2020(1 BP) Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg21–27Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Amsterdam 
21 February 2021(1 BP) Spain  Flag of Spain.svg56–7Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Estadio Pedro Escartín, Guadalajara (Spain)  
28 February 2021(1 BP) Spain  Flag of Spain.svg87–0Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Estadio Pedro Escartín, Guadalajara (Spain) 

As winners of the Rugby Europe Women's Championship, Spain joined Ireland, Italy and Scotland in the European Qualification Tournament. It took place from the 13 to 25 September 2021in Parma, Italy [8]

Qualifies as Europe 1
Advances to the Final Qualification tournament as Europe 2
PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 32017938+4110
2Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 32016078–189
3IRFU flag.svg  Ireland 31024035+56
4Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 31024068–285
13 September 2021 Scotland  Flag of Scotland.svg13–38Flag of Italy.svg  Italy (1 BP) Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 
13 September 2021 Spain  Flag of Spain.svg8–7IRFU flag.svg  Ireland (1 BP)Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 
19 September 2021 Italy  Flag of Italy.svg7–15IRFU flag.svg  Ireland Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 
19 September 2021(1 BP) Spain  Flag of Spain.svg22–27Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland (1 BP)Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 
25 September 2021(1 BP) Italy  Flag of Italy.svg34–10Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 
25 September 2021(1 BP) Ireland  IRFU flag.svg18–20Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma 

Oceania

Oceania Rugby was granted one spot to the winner of the playoff of the highest ranked teams in the 2019 Oceania Rugby Women's Championship (Oceania 1) which was held in Fiji from 18 to 30 November; the loser of the playoff would play against the winner of another playoff between the lowest ranked teams to gain the right enter the Final Qualification tournament as Oceania 2. Six teams competed in the competition with Australia and New Zealand each sending a development team to the tournament. The six teams were separated into two groups with New Zealand A joining Samoa and Tonga in Pool A while Australia A, Fiji and Papua New Guinea went into Pool B. [9] A split pool format was used whereby each team was scheduled to play three matches, but only against teams in the opposite pool. [10]

Advances to the World Cup play-off

Pool A

PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of New Zealand.svg  Black Ferns Dev. XV 33002340+23415
2Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa 31027765+125
3Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga a 10100002

Pool B

PositionNationGamesPointsTable
points
PlayedWonDrawnLostForAgainstDifference
1Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia A 31112755-287
2Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 21012660-345
3Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea 200212196-1840

^a Tonga withdrew from the competition shortly before their first game with Australia A due to the measles outbreak in Tonga. The match was declared a 0–0 draw. [11]

As New Zealand and Australia had already qualified for the World Cup, Samoa and Fiji met in the playoff match with the winner gaining qualification to the World Cup and the loser to play against the winner of a match between Tonga and Papua New Guinea to earn a place in the Final Qualification tournament.

30 November 2019 Fiji  Flag of Fiji.svg41–13Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa Churchill Park, Lautoka 
Report  [12]

As a result, Fiji qualified for the World Cup, while Samoa awaited the winner of Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

1 March 2020 Papua New Guinea  Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg24–36Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga Bava Park, Port Moresby 
Report  [13]

Tonga played Samoa to determine who advanced to the tournament.

14 November 2020 Samoa  Flag of Samoa.svg40–0Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga The Trusts Arena, Auckland 

As a result, Samoa became the first team to qualify for the Final Qualification tournament.

South America/Africa play-off

A play-off between Africa 2 (the runner-up of the 2019 Rugby Africa Women's Cup) and South America 1 (the winner of the South America play-off between Colombia and Brazil) was played for a place in the Final Qualification. Kenya finished in second in the RAWC, and Colombia defeated Brazil. The match was scheduled for 18 April 2020 but was postponed to 25 August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

25 August 2021 Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg15–16Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi 

As a result, Colombia qualified for the Final Qualification tournament.

Final Qualification Tournament

The final team to qualify for the 2021 Rugby World Cup was decided via a Final Qualification tournament. Four teams competed in the tournament: the second placed teams from the regional tournaments of Asia (Asia 2) and Europe (Europe 2), the winner of the play-off between the loser of the Oceania World Cup qualifying play-off and the winner of another play-off between the bottom ranked teams in the same tournament (Oceania 2), and the winner of the South America/Africa play-off. [14] Samoa withdrew from the Final Qualification Tournament due to challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As the two bottom ranked teams, Kazakhstan and Colombia played a semi-final match on 19 February 2022. Colombia defeated Kazakhstan and played Scotland in the final on 25 February 2022. [15]

Scotland claimed the final spot in the 2021 Rugby World Cup by defeating Colombia 59 points to 3. [16]

Semi-final

19 February 2022 Kazakhstan  Flag of Kazakhstan.svg10–18Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia The Sevens Stadium, Dubai 
Report

Final

25 February 2022 Scotland  Flag of Scotland.svg59–3Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia The Sevens Stadium, Dubai 

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References

  1. ↑ "New Zealand to host Women's Rugby World Cup 2021". World Rugby. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand postponed a year". The New Zealand Herald. 10 Mar 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  3. ↑ "Springbok Women Qualify for 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup". Johannesburg: Rugby Africa. 18 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "2021 Rugby World Cup South America Qualifying". World Rugby. 5 April 2019.
  5. ↑ "2021 Rugby World Cup Qualifying, Match 11". Rugby.World.Cup. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Asia Rugby Women's Championship postponed". Rugby.World.Cup. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Statement regarding Rugby World Cup 2021 Final Qualification Tournament". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  8. ↑ "Rugby World Cup: Scotland & Ireland set for September qualifier in Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Expanded Oceania Championship doubles as Rugby World Cup qualifier". World Rugby. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Birch, John (18 November 2019). "Samoa open qualifier with big win". Scrum Queens. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  11. ↑ greenwood, Emma (17 November 2019). "Oceania Rugby cancel Australia A-Tonga clash after suspected measles case". rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "Oceania Rugby Women's Championship 2019, Match 11". World.Rugby. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "Tonga defeat Papua New Guinea in 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifiying". Rugby.World.Cup. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "World Rugby announces new Rugby World Cup 2021 qualification pathway". World Rugby. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "Colombia one step closer to Rugby World Cup 2021 after beating Kazakhstan". www.rugbyworldcup.com. 2022-02-19. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  16. ↑ "Scotland romp to World Cup play-off win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
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