2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B

Main article: 2023 Rugby World Cup

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. ^[1] It was widely referred to as the "group of death." ^{[2] [3] [4]} Ireland topped the group and South Africa placed second, thus allowing both teams to progress.

Teams

Pos.	Team	Band	Confederation	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Apps.	Last	Previous best performance	World Rugby Rankings [5]
									1 January 2020 [nb 1]	4 September 2023
B1	South Africa	1	Africa	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	8 October 2019	8th	2019	Winners (1995, 2007, 2019)	1	2
B2	Ireland	2	Europe	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	5 October 2019	10th	2019	Quarter-finals (1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019)	5	1
B3	Scotland	3	Europe	Top 3 in 2019 RWC pool	12 October 2019	10th	2019	Fourth place (1991)	9	5
B4	Tonga	4 [nb 2]	Oceania	Asia/Pacific 1	23 July 2022	9th	2019	Pool stage (1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019)	13 [nb 2]	15
B5	Romania	5 [nb 3]	Europe	Europe 2	27 June 2022	9th	2015	Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)	19 [nb 3]	19

Notes

1. The rankings of 1 January 2020 were used for seeding for the final draw.
2. As the identity of the Asia/Pacific 1 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 4. ^[6]
3. As the identity of the Europe 2 winners was not known at the time of the final draw, positions in the World Rugby Rankings were not taken into account, and the placeholder in the draw was automatically seeded into band 5. ^[6]

Overview

Ireland, ranked 1st in the world, began Pool B with a convincing win of 82–8 over Romania. Twelve tries were scored by eight different players, with only one having not been converted. ^[7] The second match of the pool saw defending champions South Africa begin their defence against Scotland. South Africa won 18–3 courtesy of tries from Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse, along with two successful penalties from Manie Libbok. ^[8] After a six day break, action in the pool returned as Tonga played their first match against Ireland, where the Irish continued their impressive start with a 59–16 victory, including eight tries. ^[9] The next day, South Africa continued their strong start with an emphatic victory over Romania, in a 76–0 win with twelve tries, including a hat-trick of tries from Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi. ^[10] On 23 September, 1st and 2nd in the world rankings Ireland and South Africa went head-to-head, the first time the teams had ever met at a World Cup, and the first time two sides ranked first and second in the world had met in a pool stage match. Ireland emerged victorious with a scoreline of 13–8 in a low-scoring and brutal affair in Saint-Denis, putting the Irish in pole position to top the pool. ^[11] The next day, Scotland defeated Tonga in a bonus-point victory with a scoreline of 45–17 with seven tries to keep their hopes of progression to the knockout stage alive, while putting Tonga on the brink of elimination. ^[12]

Going into the penultimate weekend of pool stage fixtures, four teams in the group still held their fate in their own hands. Leaders Ireland faced a bye week, while both Tonga and Scotland faced possible elimination if they lost their match. On 30 September, Scotland hammered Romania with a 84–0 scoreline, a result which officially eliminated Romania from the tournament. Twelve tries were scored by the Scots, including Darcy Graham who provided four of them and Ben Healy converting eleven of them. The result was crucial for Scotland in keeping their hopes of progression from the pool alive, and it left them only trailing South Africa in the standings from the head-to-head tiebreaker. It set up a showdown on the final matchday between Scotland and Ireland for a place in the knockout stage. ^[13] The next day, South Africa played their final match of the pool as they moved to the brink of qualification to the quarter-finals after securing a 49–18 bonus-point victory over Tonga, a result that officially saw the elimination of the Sea Eagles from the tournament. Seven tries were scored by the Springboks, along with strong kicking from Handré Pollard and Manie Libbok. Ahead of the final matchweek, Ireland vs Scotland would be the deciding match as to who would finish in the top two and progress to the knockout stage. ^[14]

In the final pair of matches in Pool B, Ireland and Scotland went head-to-head in Saint-Denis in a match that would officially decide the final standings of the two along with South Africa in the pool and who would progress to the knockout stage with all three sides still able to do so. A clinical Ireland ended up coming away with a 36–14 bonus-point victory over the Scots with six tries, including a try from James Lowe inside 70 seconds, to ensure that Ireland qualified as they topped Group B, South Africa qualified in second and Scotland suffered elimination from the tournament as they finished third, but qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. ^[15] The final match of Pool B took place the following day between Tonga and Romania in Villeneuve-d'Ascq with both sides already confirmed to finish outside of the top three. Tonga came out with a 45–24 bonus-point victory over the Romanians with two tries from Solomone Kata helping push the Tongans to the win and end their World Cup campaign with a victory as they finished fourth in the pool while ending a miserable campaign for Romania who finished fifth with no victories. ^[16]

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	B	Pts	Qualification
1	Ireland	4	4	0	0	190	46	+144	27	5	3	19	Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
2	South Africa	4	3	0	1	151	34	+117	22	4	3	15
3	Scotland	4	2	0	2	146	71	+75	21	10	2	10	Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
4	Tonga	4	1	0	3	96	177	−81	13	25	1	5
5	Romania	4	0	0	4	32	287	−255	4	43	0	0

Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: Pool stage tiebreakers

Matches

Ireland vs Romania

9 September 2023 15:30 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Ireland	82–8	Romania
Try: Gibson-Park 5' c Keenan 13' c Beirne (2) 17' m, 80+3' c Aki (2) 34' c, 75' c Sexton (2) 40' c, 62' c Herring 45' c O'Mahony (2) 50' c, 70' c McCarthy 67' c Con: Sexton (7/8) 6', 13', 36', 40', 46', 51', 63' Crowley (4/4) 68', 72', 76', 80+3'	Report	Try: Rupanu 3' m Pen: Rupanu (1/1) 21'

Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Attendance: 41,170 Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) [17]

Ireland

Romania

FB 15 Hugo Keenan RW 14 Keith Earls  60' OC 13 Garry Ringrose IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 James Lowe FH 10 Johnny Sexton (c)  66' SH 9 Jamison Gibson-Park  60' N8 8 Caelan Doris  56' OF 7 Peter O'Mahony BF 6 Tadhg Beirne RL 5 James Ryan  56' LL 4 Joe McCarthy TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  51' HK 2 Rob Herring  51' LP 1 Andrew Porter  51' Replacements: HK 16 Rónan Kelleher  51' PR 17 Jeremy Loughman  51' PR 18 Tom O'Toole  51' LK 19 Iain Henderson  56' FL 20 Josh van der Flier  56' SH 21 Conor Murray  60' FH 22 Jack Crowley  66' WG 23 Mack Hansen  60' Coach: Andy Farrell

FB 15 Marius Simionescu  31' RW 14 Nicolas Onuțu OC 13 Jason Tomane IC 12 Fonovai Tangimana LW 11 Tevita Manumua  58' FH 10 Hinckley Vaovasa  61' SH 9 Gabriel Rupanu  74' N8 8 Cristi Chirică (c) OF 7 Vlad Neculau BF 6 Florian Roșu  61' RL 5 Ștefan Iancu  61' LL 4 Adrian Moțoc TP 3 Alexandru Gordaș  52' HK 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru  55' LP 1 Iulian Harțig  49' Replacements: HK 16 Florin Bărdașu  55' PR 17 Alexandru Savin  49' PR 18 Gheorghe Gajion  52' LK 19 Marius Iftimiciuc  61' FL 20 Dragoș Ser  61' SH 21 Alin Conache  74' FH 22 Tudor Boldor  61' CE 23 Taylor Gontineac  58' Coach: Eugen Apjok

Player of the Match: Peter O'Mahony (Ireland) [18] Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England) [17] Andrea Piardi (Italy) [17] Television match official: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) [17]

Notes:

• Robbie Henshaw was originally named among the replacements for Ireland, but withdrew before the match as an injury precaution. His place was taken by Mack Hansen. ^[19]
• This was Ireland's largest ever victory in a Rugby World Cup match, for both total points scored and overall winning margin, and also their largest ever victory over Romania, surpassing the 34–point margin (44–10) set during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. ^[20]

South Africa vs Scotland

10 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

South Africa	18–3	Scotland
Try: Du Toit 47' m Arendse 50' c Con: De Klerk (1/1) 51' Pen: Libbok (2/4) 13', 25'	Report	Pen: Russell (1/1) 40+1'

Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 63,586 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) [17]

South Africa

Scotland

FB 15 Damian Willemse RW 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse OC 13 Jesse Kriel IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 Cheslin Kolbe FH 10 Manie Libbok  69' SH 9 Faf de Klerk  75' N8 8 Jasper Wiese  60' BF 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit OF 6 Siya Kolisi (c)  64' RL 5 Franco Mostert LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  26' TP 3 Frans Malherbe  53' HK 2 Malcolm Marx 48' to 53'  57' LP 1 Steven Kitshoff  53' Replacements: HK 16 Bongi Mbonambi  48'  53'  57' PR 17 Ox Nché  53' PR 18 Trevor Nyakane  53' LK 19 RG Snyman  26' FL 20 Marco van Staden  64' N8 21 Duane Vermeulen  60' SH 22 Grant Williams  75' FB 23 Willie le Roux  69' Coach: Jacques Nienaber

FB 15 Blair Kinghorn RW 14 Darcy Graham  64' OC 13 Huw Jones IC 12 Sione Tuipilotu  67' LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Finn Russell SH 9 Ben White  67' N8 8 Jack Dempsey OF 7 Rory Darge  64' BF 6 Jamie Ritchie (c) RL 5 Grant Gilchrist  56' LL 4 Richie Gray TP 3 Zander Fagerson  56' HK 2 George Turner  56' LP 1 Pierre Schoeman  56' Replacements: HK 16 Dave Cherry  56' PR 17 Jamie Bhatti  56' PR 18 WP Nel  56' LK 19 Scott Cummings  56' FL 20 Matt Fagerson  64' SH 21 Ali Price  67' CE 22 Cameron Redpath  67' FB 23 Ollie Smith  64' Coach: Gregor Townsend

Player of the Match: Manie Libbok (South Africa) [21] Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) [17] Jordan Way (Australia) [17] Television match official: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) [17]

Notes:

• Faf de Klerk (South Africa) earned his 50th test cap. ^[22]

Ireland vs Tonga

16 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Ireland	59–16	Tonga
Try: Beirne 21' c Doris 27' c Hansen 33' c Sexton 38' c Lowe 59' c Aki (2) 63' c, 69' c Herring 80' c Con: Sexton (4/4) 22', 28', 34', 39' Byrne (4/4) 60', 64', 70', 80+2' Pen: Sexton (1/1) 7'	Report	Try: V. Fifita 40+8' c Con: Havili (1/1) 40+9' Pen: Havili (3/3) 16', 25', 43'

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes Attendance: 31,673 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) [17]

Ireland

Tonga

FB 15 Hugo Keenan RW 14 Mack Hansen OC 13 Garry Ringrose  50' IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 James Lowe FH 10 Johnny Sexton (c)  41' SH 9 Conor Murray  56' N8 8 Caelan Doris  52' OF 7 Josh van der Flier BF 6 Peter O'Mahony  40+3' RL 5 James Ryan  50' LL 4 Tadhg Beirne TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  41'  50' HK 2 Rónan Kelleher  41' LP 1 Andrew Porter  41' Replacements: HK 16 Rob Herring  41' PR 17 Dave Kilcoyne  41' PR 18 Finlay Bealham  41'  50' LK 19 Iain Henderson  50' FL 20 Ryan Baird  52' SH 21 Craig Casey  56' FH 22 Ross Byrne  41' CE 23 Robbie Henshaw  50' Coach: Andy Farrell

FB 15 Salesi Piutau RW 14 Afusipa Taumoepeau OC 13 Malakai Fekitoa IC 12 Pita Ahki LW 11 Solomone Kata  71' FH 10 William Havili SH 9 Augustine Pulu  41' N8 8 Vaea Fifita  60' OF 7 Sione Havili Talitui BF 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua  50' RL 5 Leva Fifita  71' LL 4 Sam Lousi TP 3 Ben Tameifuna (c)  60' HK 2 Paul Ngauamo  50' LP 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi  60' Replacements: HK 16 Sam Moli  50' PR 17 Tau Koloamatangi  60' PR 18 Joe Apikotoa  60' LK 19 Semisi Paea  71' FL 20 Solomone Funaki  52' N8 21 Sione Vailanu  60' SH 22 Sonatane Takulua  41' CE 23 Fine Inisi  71' Coach: Toutai Kefu

Player of the Match: Bundee Aki (Ireland) [23] Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England) [17] Craig Evans (Wales) [17] Television match official: Tom Foley (England) [17]

Notes:

• This was the first match between Ireland and Tonga at a Rugby World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987, when the two nations met in the pool stages. ^{[24] [25]}
• Johnny Sexton became Ireland's all-time top points scorer, breaking the previous record of 1,083 points which was held by Ronan O'Gara. ^[26]

South Africa vs Romania

17 September 2023 15:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) South Africa	76–0	Romania
Try: Reinach (3) 2' m, 8' c, 23' c Mapimpi (3) 6' c, 63' m, 67' c Willemse 11' c Fourie 42' m Penalty try 52' Williams (2) 54' c, 61' c Le Roux 73' m Con: Willemse (5/7) 7', 9', 11', 24', 55' De Klerk (2/4) 62', 68'	Report

Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Attendance: 38,789 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) [17]

South Africa

Romania

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Grant Williams OC 13 Canan Moodie IC 12 André Esterhuizen LW 11 Makazole Mapimpi FH 10 Damian Willemse  57' SH 9 Cobus Reinach  46' N8 8 Duane Vermeulen BF 7 Kwagga Smith OF 6 Marco van Staden RL 5 Marvin Orie  41' LL 4 Jean Kleyn TP 18 Trevor Nyakane  60' HK 2 Bongi Mbonambi (c)  40' LP 1 Ox Nché  60' Replacements: HK 16 Deon Fourie  40' PR 17 Steven Kitshoff  60' PR 28 Frans Malherbe  60' LK 19 RG Snyman  41' N8 20 Jasper Wiese SH 21 Jaden Hendrikse  46' SH 22 Faf de Klerk  57' CE 23 Jesse Kriel Coach: Jacques Nienaber

FB 15 Marius Simionescu RW 14 Tevita Manumua OC 13 Jason Tomane  60' IC 12 Taylor Gontineac  67' LW 11 Nicolas Onuțu FH 10 Hinckley Vaovasa SH 9 Gabriel Rupanu N8 8 Cristi Chirică (c) OF 7 Vlad Neculau  41' BF 6 André Gorin  55' RL 5 Marius Iftimiciuc  52' LL 4 Adrian Moțoc TP 3 Alexandru Gordaș  51' HK 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru  60' LP 1 Iulian Harțig  57' Replacements: HK 16 Robert Irimescu  60' PR 17 Alexandru Savin  57' PR 18 Thomas Crețu  51' LK 19 Ștefan Iancu  52' FL 20 Damian Strătilă  55' FL 21 Cristi Boboc  41' SH 22 Alin Conache  67' FH 23 Gabriel Pop  60' Coach: Eugen Apjok

Player of the Match: Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa) [27] Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) [17] Pierre Brousset (France) [17] Television match official: Brett Cronan (Australia) [17]

Notes:

• South Africa secured the fastest ever try bonus point (earned by scoring four tries) in a World Cup match, achieving this feat 11 minutes and 13 seconds after kick-off. ^[28]
• Vincent Koch was originally named in the starting line-up for South Africa, but withdrew during the match-day warm-up due to injury. He was replaced by Trevor Nyakane, whose place on the bench was taken by Frans Malherbe. Nyakane continued to wear the number 18 shirt, while Malherbe wore 28. ^[29]

South Africa vs Ireland

23 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) South Africa	8–13	Ireland
Try: Kolbe 51' m Pen: Libbok (1/2) 6'	Report	Try: Hansen 33' c Con: Sexton (1/1) 35' Pen: Sexton (1/1) 59' Crowley (1/1) 77'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,542 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) [17]

South Africa

Ireland

FB 15 Damian Willemse RW 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse OC 13 Jesse Kriel IC 12 Damian de Allende LW 11 Cheslin Kolbe FH 10 Manie Libbok SH 9 Faf de Klerk  75' N8 8 Jasper Wiese  48' BF 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit OF 6 Siya Kolisi (c)  51' RL 5 Franco Mostert  48' LL 4 Eben Etzebeth  48' TP 3 Frans Malherbe  62' HK 2 Bongi Mbonambi  64' LP 1 Steven Kitshoff  48' Replacements: HK 16 Deon Fourie  64' PR 17 Ox Nché  48' PR 18 Trevor Nyakane  62' LK 19 Jean Kleyn  48' LK 20 RG Snyman  48' FL 21 Marco van Staden  51' FL 22 Kwagga Smith  48' SH 23 Cobus Reinach  75' Coach: Jacques Nienaber

FB 15 Hugo Keenan RW 14 Mack Hansen OC 13 Garry Ringrose 22' to 35'  64' IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 James Lowe FH 10 Johnny Sexton (c)  73' SH 9 Jamison Gibson-Park  66' N8 8 Caelan Doris OF 7 Josh van der Flier BF 6 Peter O'Mahony  64' RL 5 James Ryan  53' LL 4 Tadhg Beirne TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  64' HK 2 Rónan Kelleher  53' LP 1 Andrew Porter  75' Replacements: HK 16 Dan Sheehan  53' PR 17 Dave Kilcoyne  75' PR 18 Finlay Bealham  64' LK 19 Iain Henderson  53' FL 20 Ryan Baird  64' SH 21 Conor Murray  66' FH 22 Jack Crowley  73' CE 23 Robbie Henshaw  22'  35'  64' Coach: Andy Farrell

Player of the Match: Bundee Aki (Ireland) [30] Assistant referees: Mathieu Raynal (France) [17] James Doleman (New Zealand) [17] Television match official: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) [17]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup, or at any neutral venue. ^[31]
• Peter O'Mahony earned his 100th international test cap, having played 99 times for Ireland and once for the British & Irish Lions. ^[32]
• Bundee Aki earned his 50th test cap for Ireland. ^[33]

Scotland vs Tonga

24 September 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Scotland	45–17	Tonga
Try: Turner 5' c Van der Merwe 27' m Steyn 30' m Darge 40+2' c Horne 54' c Kinghorn 68' c Graham 80+2' c Con: Russell (5/7) 6', 40+3', 55', 70', 80+3'	Report	Try: Kata 20' c Tameifuna 44' c Con: Havili (2/2) 21', 45' Pen: Havili (1/1) 10'

Allianz Riviera, Nice Attendance: 33,189 Referee: Karl Dickson (England) [17]

Scotland

Tonga

FB 15 Blair Kinghorn RW 14 Kyle Steyn  48' OC 13 Chris Harris  48' IC 12 Sione Tuipilotu LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Finn Russell SH 9 Ben White  48' N8 8 Jack Dempsey OF 7 Rory Darge BF 6 Jamie Ritchie (c)  34' RL 5 Scott Cummings LL 4 Richie Gray  65' TP 3 Zander Fagerson  59' HK 2 George Turner  59' LP 1 Rory Sutherland  48' Replacements: HK 16 Ewan Ashman  59' PR 17 Pierre Schoeman  48' PR 18 WP Nel  59' LK 19 Sam Skinner  65' FL 20 Matt Fagerson  34' SH 21 George Horne  48' CE 22 Huw Jones  48' WG 23 Darcy Graham  48' Coach: Gregor Townsend

FB 15 Salesi Piutau RW 14 Solomone Kata OC 13 Malakai Fekitoa IC 12 Pita Ahki LW 11 Afusipa Taumoepeau  34' FH 10 William Havili  77' SH 9 Augustine Pulu  55' N8 8 Vaea Fifita  77' OF 7 Sione Havili Talitui  70' BF 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua  55' RL 5 Sam Lousi  55' LL 4 Leva Fifita TP 3 Ben Tameifuna (c)  65' HK 2 Paul Ngauamo  52' LP 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi  70' Replacements: HK 16 Sam Moli  52' PR 17 Tau Koloamatangi  70' PR 18 Joe Apikotoa  65' LK 19 Adam Coleman  55' FL 20 Semisi Paea  70' N8 21 Sione Vailanu  55' SH 22 Sonatane Takulua  55' FH 23 Patrick Pellegrini  77' Coach: Toutai Kefu

Player of the Match: Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) [34] Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) [17] Craig Evans (Wales) [17] Television match official: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) [17]

Notes:

• Adam Coleman made his debut for Tonga, having previously represented Australia at test level between 2016 and 2019, earning the last of his 38 caps for the Wallabies at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. ^[35]
• Patrick Pellegrini (Tonga) made his international debut. ^[36]

Scotland vs Romania

30 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Scotland	84–0	Romania
Try: Watson 9' c Price 17' c Graham (4) 21' c, 34' c, 40' c, 77' c Fagerson 38' c Harris 45' c Smith 53' c Healy 58' c Matthews 71' c Darge 73' c Con: Healy (11/11) 10', 18', 22', 35', 39', 40', 47', 55', 59', 72', 77' Horne (1/1) 73'	Report

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 46,516 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) [17]

Scotland

Romania

FB 15 Ollie Smith  59' RW 14 Darcy Graham OC 13 Chris Harris  65' IC 12 Cameron Redpath LW 11 Kyle Steyn FH 10 Ben Healy SH 9 Ali Price  55' N8 8 Matt Fagerson OF 7 Hamish Watson  65' BF 6 Luke Crosbie RL 5 Grant Gilchrist (c)  59' LL 4 Sam Skinner TP 3 Javan Sebastian  59' HK 2 Ewan Ashman  59' LP 1 Jamie Bhatti  59' Replacements: HK 16 Johnny Matthews  59' PR 17 Rory Sutherland  59' PR 18 WP Nel  59' LK 19 Scott Cummings  59' FL 20 Rory Darge  65' SH 21 George Horne  55' FB 22 Blair Kinghorn  59' CE 23 Huw Jones  65' Coach: Gregor Townsend

FB 15 Marius Simionescu  38' RW 14 Sioeli Lama OC 13 Jason Tomane IC 12 Fonovai Tangimana  57' LW 11 Taliaʻuli Sikuea FH 10 Alin Conache  53' SH 9 Gabriel Rupanu  32'  39'  61' N8 8 Cristi Chirică (c)  39' OF 7 Dragoș Ser BF 6 Florian Roșu  31' RL 5 Ștefan Iancu LL 4 Adrian Moțoc TP 3 Gheorghe Gajion  57' HK 2 Robert Irimescu  29'  59' LP 1 Alexandru Savin  61' Replacements: HK 16 Florin Bărdașu  32'  39'  59' PR 17 Iulian Harțig  61' PR 18 Costel Burțilă  57' LK 19 Marius Iftimiciuc FL 20 Damian Strătilă  39' SH 21 Florin Surugiu  61' FH 22 Tudor Boldor  53' WG 23 Nicolas Onuțu  57' Coach: Eugen Apjok

Player of the Match: Darcy Graham (Scotland) [37] Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) [38] James Doleman (New Zealand) [38] Television match official: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) [17]

Notes:

• This was Scotland's biggest ever victory over Romania, surpassing the 42–point margin (42–0) set during the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
• Scotland kept their opponents scoreless for the sixth time in a World Cup match – the first nation to achieve this feat.
• Johnny Matthews (Scotland) made his international debut. ^[39]

South Africa vs Tonga

1 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) South Africa	49–18	Tonga
Try: Reinach 5' c Moodie 20' c Fourie 32' c Kriel 49' c Le Roux 58' c Van Staden 63' c Smith 80+1' c Con: Pollard (4/4) 6', 21', 33', 51' Libbok (3/3) 59', 65', 80+2'	Report	Try: Tameifuna 38' m Inisi 54' m Pellegrini 73' m Pen: Havili (1/1) 3'

Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 60,387 Referee: Luke Pearce (England) [17]

South Africa

Tonga

FB 15 Willie le Roux RW 14 Grant Williams OC 13 Canan Moodie IC 12 André Esterhuizen LW 11 Makazole Mapimpi  29' FH 10 Handré Pollard  51' SH 9 Cobus Reinach  51' N8 8 Jasper Wiese  51' BF 7 Duane Vermeulen OF 6 Siya Kolisi (c)  59' RL 5 Marvin Orie  62' LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Vincent Koch  45' HK 2 Deon Fourie LP 1 Ox Nché 45' to 55'  59' Replacements: HK 16 Marco van Staden  59' PR 17 Steven Kitshoff  45'  55'  59' PR 18 Trevor Nyakane  45' LK 19 Franco Mostert  62' FL 20 Kwagga Smith  51' SH 21 Jaden Hendrikse  51' FH 22 Manie Libbok  51' CE 23 Jesse Kriel  29' Coach: Jacques Nienaber

FB 15 Salesi Piutau RW 14 Fine Inisi OC 13 Malakai Fekitoa  68' IC 12 Pita Ahki LW 11 Anzelo Tuitavuki FH 10 William Havili  71' SH 9 Augustine Pulu  52' N8 8 Semisi Paea  59' OF 7 Sione Havili Talitui BF 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua RL 5 Sam Lousi  51' LL 4 Leva Fifita TP 3 Ben Tameifuna (c)  55' HK 2 Paul Ngauamo  51'  64' LP 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi  71' Replacements: HK 16 Sam Moli  51'  64' PR 17 Tau Koloamatangi  71' PR 18 Joe Apikotoa  55' LK 19 Adam Coleman  51' N8 20 Sione Vailanu  59' SH 21 Sonatane Takulua  52' FH 22 Patrick Pellegrini  71' CE 23 Afusipa Taumoepeau  68' Coach: Toutai Kefu

Player of the Match: Deon Fourie (South Africa) [40] Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England) [17] Christophe Ridley (England) [17] Television match official: Brett Cronan (Australia) [17]

Ireland vs Scotland

7 October 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Ireland	36–14	Scotland
Try: Lowe 2' m Keenan (2) 26' c, 39' c Henderson 32' c Sheehan 44' m Ringrose 58' m Con: Sexton (3/5) 27', 33', 40'	Report	Try: Ashman 64' c Price 66' c Con: Russell (2/2) 65', 66'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,459 [41] Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) [17]

Ireland

Scotland

FB 15 Hugo Keenan RW 14 Mack Hansen 21' to 32'  35' OC 13 Garry Ringrose IC 12 Bundee Aki LW 11 James Lowe  41' FH 10 Johnny Sexton (c)  45' SH 9 Jamison Gibson-Park N8 8 Caelan Doris OF 7 Josh van der Flier BF 6 Peter O'Mahony  48' RL 5 Iain Henderson LL 4 Tadhg Beirne  48' TP 3 Tadhg Furlong  48' HK 2 Dan Sheehan  48' LP 1 Andrew Porter  48' Replacements: HK 16 Rónan Kelleher  48' PR 17 Dave Kilcoyne  48' PR 18 Finlay Bealham  48' LK 19 James Ryan  48' N8 20 Jack Conan  48' SH 21 Conor Murray  41' FH 22 Jack Crowley  45' CE 23 Stuart McCloskey  21'  32'  35' Coach: Andy Farrell

FB 15 Blair Kinghorn  8' RW 14 Darcy Graham  50' OC 13 Huw Jones IC 12 Sione Tuipilotu LW 11 Duhan van der Merwe FH 10 Finn Russell SH 9 Ali Price N8 8 Jack Dempsey OF 7 Rory Darge  65' BF 6 Jamie Ritchie (c)  20' RL 5 Grant Gilchrist  45' LL 4 Richie Gray TP 3 Zander Fagerson  60' HK 2 George Turner  59' LP 1 Pierre Schoeman  53' Replacements: HK 16 Ewan Ashman  59' PR 17 Rory Sutherland  53' PR 18 WP Nel  60' LK 19 Scott Cummings  45' FL 20 Matt Fagerson  20' FL 21 Luke Crosbie  65' SH 22 George Horne  50' FB 23 Ollie Smith  42'  8' Coach: Gregor Townsend

Player of the Match: Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland) [42] Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England) [17] Jordan Way (Australia) [17] Television match official: Brett Cronan (Australia) [17]

Notes:

• Peter O'Mahony became the tenth Irish rugby player to earn 100 test caps for his country. ^[43]
• Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) earned his 50th test cap. ^[44]

Tonga vs Romania

8 October 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Tonga	45–24	Romania
Try: Kata (2) 11' c, 66' m Moala 15' c Taumoepeau 22' c Vailanu 49' c Ahki 62' c Taumoefolau 71' m Con: Havili (5/7) 13', 17', 23', 51', 63'	Report	Try: Boboc 30' c Surugiu 36' c Simionescu 55' c Con: Conache (3/3) 32', 37', 57' Pen: Conache (1/2) 19'

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 45,042 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) [17]

Tonga

Romania

FB 15 Salesi Piutau  71' RW 14 Solomone Kata  67' OC 13 George Moala IC 12 Pita Ahki LW 11 Afusipa Taumoepeau FH 10 William Havili SH 9 Sonatane Takulua (c)  64' N8 8 Sione Vailanu  59' OF 7 Sione Havili Talitui BF 6 Semisi Paea RL 5 Adam Coleman LL 4 Leva Fifita  32'  72' TP 3 Ben Tameifuna  71' HK 2 Paul Ngauamo  75' LP 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi  72' Replacements: HK 16 Sione Anga'aelangi  75' PR 17 Paula Latu  72' PR 18 Siate Tokolahi  71' LK 19 Sitiveni Mafi  72' FL 20 Penitoa Finau  59' SH 21 Manu Paea  64' FH 22 Patrick Pellegrini  71' WG 23 Kyren Taumoefolau  67' Coach: Toutai Kefu

FB 15 Marius Simionescu RW 14 Nicolas Onuțu OC 13 Tevita Manumua IC 12 Fonovai Tangimana  70' LW 11 Taliaʻuli Sikuea  64' FH 10 Alin Conache  70' SH 9 Florin Surugiu  52' N8 8 André Gorin  60' OF 7 Cristi Boboc  61' BF 6 Florian Roșu 33' to 41' RL 5 Marius Iftimiciuc LL 4 Adrian Moțoc  61' TP 3 Alexandru Gordaș  64' HK 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru (c)  59' LP 1 Alexandru Savin  60' Replacements: HK 16 Robert Irimescu  59' PR 17 Iulian Harțig  60' PR 18 Costel Burțilă  64' LK 19 Ștefan Iancu  33'  41'  61' FL 20 Damian Strătilă  60' SH 21 Gabriel Rupanu  64' CE 22 Alexandru Bucur  52' CE 23 Mihai Graure  70' Coach: Eugen Apjok

Player of the Match: George Moala (Tonga) [45] Assistant referees: Mathieu Raynal (France) [17] Christophe Ridley (England) [17] Television match official: Ben Whitehouse (Wales) [17]

Notes:

• This was the first ever meeting between these two sides at a World Cup.
• Vlad Neculau was originally named in the starting line-up for Romania, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. He was replaced by Florian Roșu, whose place on the bench was taken by Ștefan Iancu.
• This was Tonga's largest points total in a World Cup match, surpassing the 35 points they scored against Namibia in 2015, and their biggest victory at the tournament (by margin), surpassing their 29–11 win over Ivory Coast in 1995. ^[46]
• Romania finished the pool stage with 287 points and 43 tries conceded – the highest number of points and tries scored against one team in a single World Cup campaign, surpassing Namibia's concession of 266 points in 2011. ^[47]

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